In the pursuit of athletic excellence, bounce explosiveness is an indispensable element. To improve this critical ability, training methods range from weighted jumping squats in the gym to specialized training that emphasizes speed and explosiveness, all designed to optimize the core metric of "strength development". In gym training, as long as you pay attention to the contraction speed of the movement, many training programs can simultaneously increase your maximum strength level and force development rate.
In addition to in-gym training, plyometrics training, as a training system that originated in the Soviet Union, also plays an important role in the field environment. The essential characteristics of plyometrics are its explosiveness and high speed, through high-intensity, high-rate strength training, shorten the muscle contraction time, especially the contraction time of rapid twitching muscle fibers, so as to train the nervous system to activate muscles faster, enhance the connection between the brain and muscles, and improve the efficiency of muscle recruitment. At the same time, strength training itself can also stimulate the full recruitment of fast-twitching muscle fibers to enhance strength, while explosive and high-speed movements can accelerate the contraction rate of muscle fibers.
Tracing the history of plyometrics, the term was first coined in 1975 by American track and field coach Fred Wilt, whose Latin root "PLYO + Metrics" means "measurable growth." Plyometrics originally consisted of two main exercises, deep jumping, which was a rapid jump after falling from a certain height, and impact jumping, which trained energy absorption by falling from a height and absorbing the impact. Over time, plyometrics has expanded to include jumps, jumps, jump ropes, and stride jumps.
Plyometric training is highly prized for its ability to bridge the gap between power and explosiveness, building reactive power, known as plyometric strength, reverse strength, and elastic power. Understanding that reactive movement is like how a spring works, rapid load eccentric contraction (negative contraction) can stretch the tendon and increase muscle recruitment, when the tendon is stretched, the muscle cell locks on to the negative force and stores it, and then releases it quickly under the reflex action to achieve stronger reverse muscle contraction. For example, when we throw a ball quickly, we take advantage of this principle and quickly swing our arms to accumulate energy and thus throw more powerfully.
Almost all motor activities, including walking, running, jumping rope, jumping, etc., rely on telescopic cycles, plyometric strength, elastic strength, reactive force, or reverse force. On top of this, plyometric training is carefully divided into levels, from lightweight reactive exercises such as jumping rope, to moderate-intensity "strength" or "up" type exercises such as tread box jumps, to medium- and high-intensity reflexes such as low-level deep jumps and deep jumps, drop jumps, etc., and short-response reactivity exercises such as single-leg jump series. Each type of training plays an important role in the overall training plan.
The plyometric action is like a rubber band, and the potential energy stored after rapid stretching can be quickly converted into stronger resilience. During the jump, the body stores energy by rapidly absorbing and converting negative (downward) force, and then quickly bends and stretches to achieve a jump off the ground. Good jumpers tend to descend quickly in reverse movements because muscles that are stretched quickly are faster and more powerful when contracted.
In addition, plyometrics training can also improve performance by reducing the time of contact with the ground during running or jumping (amortization phase). Studies of elite jumpers and sprinters have found that they are able to convert their power in extremely short contact times. Therefore, targeted shortening of ground contact time is expected to significantly improve jumping and sprinting skills.
In conclusion, plyometrics training is a training method that not only enhances the rapid reflexes of the nervous system, but also promotes the transformation of muscle fiber types from type (slow contraction) to type A (fast contraction) and even type B (fastest contraction). Through continuous plyometric training, athletes are able to recruit more motor units and their corresponding muscle fibers, develop explosive power, enhance the rate of force development, increase plyometric strength, and improve the proficiency of the central nervous system (CNS), and ultimately better convert centrifugal force into centripetal force output, so as to demonstrate superior bouncing explosiveness on the playing field.