JUMP TRAINING (Volleyball)
Jump training is a series of exercises that help improve jumping height. The exercises are based around training muscles to exert powerful forces in the shortest interval of time. This speed and power combination allows the athlete to increase their vertical jumping ability.
Jump training and "plyometrics" are often used interchangeably, but it should be noted that plyometrics are only a part of jump training.
Since plyometrics is used as part of this training, a brief understanding of its history will help with understanding the methods used here.
There are essentially two forms of “plyometrics” that have evolved. It was first developed in the Soviet Union and later adapted in the United States. The Soviet version is better understood as the “shock method”. Here, the athlete drops from a height and upon landing experiences a “shock” which in turn brings on an involuntary eccentric contraction of the muscles that is immediately switched to a concentric contraction as the athlete jumps upward. Landing and takeoff are executed with the shortest possible isometric time period.
The plyometrics seen mainly in the United States is done using any and all forms of jumping with little regard to execution time. It is basically the practice of jumping which can not truly be consider equivalent to the shock methods used in the very effective Soviet training. Although, the term “plyometrics” was coined by an American, it is not the same type of training.
With that history known, the “plyometric” portions of the training used in this method is a hybrid of the two versions with the major portion of the training being the “shock method”.
As you will see, there are also other exercises needed to improve jumping that do not involve either method of plyometrics.
Below is a group of sample videos that touch on the phases of jumping. Other exercises are displayed in later sections.
Many factors are involved in jump training. The type of individualized training, the age of the athlete, the condition of the athlete, and the weight of the athlete are only some of the factors that are taken into consideration.
Generally, the younger the athlete (Jump training is typically not encouraged before age 13) the more room for improvement in jump training. This is because the young athlete has not yet developed the power and speed necessary for the basics of jumping. Therefore, as power and speed increase, so will jump height. Sometimes improvements are very dramatic.
Conditioning is an important factor for expectations as well. If an individual is “out of shape” or has noticeable weaknesses in certain muscle groups, the potential for improvement is greater. It is when these issues are corrected that jump height increases rapidly. If the athlete is already in great shape, odds are the power and speed components are near their peak. Therefore, increases will be less noticeable.
Weight is also a factor. Simply said, the more you have, the harder it is to break gravity. Typically, a heavier athlete will need more power and speed than a lighter one to achieve that same vertical jump height.
The type of training also matters. There are a lot of jumping programs out there, mostly “cookie-cutter” programs. A generic program will help most athletes achieve some gain in vertical jumping height, but it will not help the same athlete reach their peak potential.
Why? Because most programs do not address the individual. Not every athlete has developed identically. Every athlete has a weakness somewhere. The key is to find that athlete's weaknesses and correct them. For example, “shifting”, “favoring”, and “rotational” weaknesses in form are not easy to spot. In order to help each athlete achieve their potential, it's imperative that errors like these be corrected.
So, what can an athlete expect from jump training? As one can see, the factors for improving jumping are many, and are specific to the individual. There is no single answer that can be applied to all athletes. Weaknesses in form and balance should never be overlooked. If they are, jump training will not be rewarding. Hard work and correct training are the only things that will send the athlete toward “their” personal potential.
*** Parts of this training are NOT for beginning athletes ***
*** These examples are athlete specific and are not meant for every person ***
*** No matter how advanced the athlete, even the most basic exercise needs to be performed and followed precisely ***
*** Cheating can lead to imbalances, pain or injury ***
*** If you perform these exercises, you do so at your own risk ***
It is very important to start slowly and pay attention to detail. By doing so, the athlete will prevent injury and maximized outcome. Starting slowly and focusing on correct form is of utmost importance. Starting slowly will also let the body adjust to the “shock” that occurs during training.
Let me say it again. Start slowly. Keep it basic. Follow detail.
*** WARM UP DYNAMICALLY! ***
*** DO NOT STATIC STRETCH BEFORE YOUR SPORT! ***
*** Warm-up Video Samples Coming Soon ***
Let's discuss why static stretching should NOT be performed before the athlete's activity.
Since we are talking about training for jumpers, it should be noted that other studies have demonstrated different performance outcomes between static stretching and dynamic stretching. These studies demonstrated that static stretching has a negative influence on vertical jumping performance, whereas dynamic stretching had a positive impact.
It was found that increased vertical jump performance after dynamic stretching may be attributed to a process called post-activation potentiation. This post-activation potentiation is a phenomenon in which the force exerted by a muscle is increased due to its previous contraction. The exact understanding of this process is beyond the scope of this discussion, but deals with the phosphorylation of myosin regulatory light chains, which renders actin-myosin more sensitive to calcium released from the sarcoplasmic reticulum during subsequent muscle contractions. Simply stated, it physiologically maximizes performance of the explosive activity.
The reduction in vertical jump performance after static stretching may be attributable to neurological impairment and a possible alteration in the viscoelastic properties of the muscular tendon unit.
References:
*** BEFORE BEGINNING THESE EXERCISES....WARM UP PROPERLY! ***
*** BEFORE BEGINNING THESE EXERCISES YOU AFFIRM THAT YOU HAVE READ ALL WARNINGS ***
*** THESE EXERCISES ARE DESIGNED FOR THIS ATHLETE. HIS ENTIRE PROGRAM IS NOT SHOWN ***
More information for this section is coming soon.
Ball-on-Wall Squat
Box Squat (Without Weight)
Squat Jumps
Single Leg Balance (Unstable Surface)
Pelvic Bridges
Pelvic Bridge Walkout
Double Jump
Single-Leg Jump Hold
Backward Squat Throw
Target Jump
Tempo Squats
Walking Lunges (With and Without Weights)
Silent Tuck Landing
Box-Drop Squat
Box-Drop Hurdle Jump
Box-Drop Target Jump
Box Shuffles
Single-Leg Squat
Squat Push Press
Ankle Hops and Raises
Box Jumps (You Should NOT do these)
Elevated Split Squats
The information for this section is coming soon.