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Plyometrics were first introduced to the training world by the Russians back in the
1960s and 1970s. Plyometrics is a form of training involving powerful muscular
contractions in response to a rapid stretching of the muscles. Plyometric exercises
improve the muscles' ability to transfer eccentric force or loads back into a concentric
contraction of the muscle. For example, before an athlete performs a vertical jump, he or
she crouches before quickly reversing the motion for the upward explosion. In this case,
the athlete's quads contract eccentrically (lengthening contraction) to stop the downward
motion before beginning the shortening concentric contration for the upward movement. This
"pre-stretching" of a muscle prior to contraction greatly increases an athlete's
power. Therefore, we do plyometric exercises to train the athlete's central nervous system
(CNS) to take advantage of the muscles' built-in stretch-reflex mechanism. Any sort of
running or jumping can technically be called a plyometric exercise. But the key is to
overload the eccentric phase of the activity so the body learns to adapt and more
efficiently transfer power generated in the eccentric phase to the concentric phase. One
common plyometric exercise is "Depth Jumps". In a depth jump an athlete
steps off an elevated platform (generally 6" to 24" depending on the athlete)
and immediately explodes back up into a vertical jump. The idea is to minimize the time it
takes to land, stabilize, and reverse back into the vertical jump. Since plyometrics are
very taxing on the central nervous system and joints, it is very important to make sure
the athlete has adequate recovery time before performing another session of plyometric
exercises. Plyometrics are great exercises but it is important to use a variety training
methods to avoid overusing them. |
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Band training is an excellent way to improve explosiveness and speed no matter what
sport you play. There are several reasons I use band training in my workouts with
athletes. First, bands optimize eccentric training safely. As you know, if you stretch a
rubber band and then let it go it rapidly contracts back to its original size. Using bands
allows an athlete to "overload" the eccentric portion of an exercise. For
example, if you use bands to work on vertical jumping, the elasticity of the band allows
it to stretch when the athlete is in a full standing position. But as the athlete crouches
to prepare for the jump, the contracting force of the band causes the athlete to dip
faster putting a safe overload on the eccentric stretch of the quads and hips. And the
quicker an athlete descends, the more powerful the upward explosion into the jump. Then,
as the athlete explodes upward the band provides increasing resistance as it is stretched.
The more you stretch the band the more effort or force is necessary to continue the
stretch. By using a band, you condition your body to accelerate powerfully throughout the
whole range of motion. You cannot do this safely with loose weights. While bands do not
accommodate as well as isokinetic equipment like the Leaper, they do provide some degree
of matching resistance. Using the vertical jump as an example, an athlete is not as strong
at the bottom of the squat but he or she doesn't have to be because the band is not fully
stretched. But at the top of the motion where skeletal leverages are greater and athletes
can exert more force, bands provide more resistance as they are stretched. |
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QUICK-TWITCH MUSCLE TRAINING
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Athletes have three different
types of muscle fibers. Slow-twitch (or Type I)
fibers contract slowly and have a high resistance to fatigue. Slow-twitch fibers are used
for aerobic activities requiring low-level force production, such as walking. Most
activities of daily living use slow-twitch fibers. Fast-twitch (or Type II)
fibers, on the other hand, contract quickly giving the athlete explosive power.
Unfortunately, fast-twitch or quick-twitch fibers possess a low resistance to fatigue.
There are two types of fast-twitch fibers. Fast-twitch A fibers are used for longer
anaerobic activities with a relatively high force output, such as running 400 meters. They
have a moderate resistance to fatigue. Fast-twitch B fibers, on the other hand, are used
for short anaerobic, high force production activities, such as sprinting and jumping.
These fibers are very sensitive to fatigue. Both fast-twitch fibers A and B are capable of
producing more power than slow-twitch fibers. Depending on the athlete's sport or
event within a sport, training methods will be tailored to the individual. For those
athletes participating in explosive sports such as basketball, emphasis will given to
training methods incorporating superior technology such as the Leaper and modern
techniques such as downhill sprinting. |
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INDEPENDENT CORE MUSCLE WORK
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Usually when you think of "core" you think "abdominals". But your
core includes much more. Your groin, hips, glutes, shoulders and back are also important
parts of an athlete's core. Proper core training helps to stabilize the hips and lower
body. This maximizes movement efficiency. Movement efficiency enables an athlete to
utilize all the force generated by major muscles groups like the quads and hamstrings.
Training right means establishing a solid core by performing exercises that strengthen the
hips, groin and glutes in particular. This translates into faster sprints, a higher
vertical jump, and all-around greater performance. |
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SPEED & AGILITY TRAINING
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Speed and agility are important
elements of most sports. |
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