Are the benefits of high intensity plyos worth the risks? Does it make sense to do them? If dependent upon the individual, what athletes does it make sense for and which does it not?
I’ve read Charlie’s opinion on depth jumps and injury as well as many other great coaches. I understand his point view. Alternately for someone who has improved their limit strength and is being held back by a lack of reactive strength, I think it could be an important tool.
Say, I’m a basketball player and I bring my squat up to 1.5-2x bodyweight and it gives me a decent vertical jump. Then I bust my ass to get my squat from 400 to 500 and I get an extra inch or two on my vertical while my running one leg jump stays the same. Should I just keep working until I get to 550, 600, etc.? I don’t think so. There are obviously weaknesses within my system that are holding me back as an athlete other than my absolute strength.
I think for athlete’s who are genetically gifted and can continue to improve simply by work on the track (court/field) in addition to improving their limit strength, there is a possibility that high intensity plyos would not be worth it. In fact, I would think someone who suggested that Ben Johnson should’ve done more depth jumps was an idiot.
I know if I was in a different position where I thought I could get where I wanted to be in my timeframe with just weights and that my body would take care of keeping my reactive ability up on its own, I would just be living in the squat rack. But as I’ve told you, my one leg running jump is inches and I mean inches below my standing vertical and I am slow on my feet for a basketball player (ok, slowly improving with some good help). We know there are some functional problems that I’m working out, but still, there is a deficit of the reactive strength that should not be there for an elite athlete.
The deficits and problems are there more than likely do to improper development of training in conjunction with what you needed. You got away with this for a great deal of time, more than likely because you we good (or better than those around you) and no one else knew enough around you (coaches, etc.) to properly balance your issues/development out as you progressed in talent and age. Now as you strive to reach superior training methods, your system is showing holes in it. It is not necessarly that the training you are doing now is ‘bad for the body’, your body is just not prepared for it. Had a quality professional led you through the development process, plyometrics would not cause you problems, as long as you did it correctly, and continued to closely balance your body out.
It’s not so much what you are doing now, it’s what you did or didn’t do back then, that is causing the now to manifest itself in injury today.
Can someone educate me on CF view of plyos?
Which does he believe are good for sprinters?
And perhaps a program.
I am trying to come back to my form from a few years back and I know I need some pure speed work. I have been doing flying 30’s and standing 60’s, i want to add plyos or not. I also include a speed end. 2x150
Help please
Did anyone see that USA Hockey movie about the 1980 Miricle team that beat the RSoviet team. There’s a clip of the Soviet’s jumping on and off a 2ft. or more bench with a 45lb. plate rapidly. It looked intence. Well it seems many coaches have incorporated this drill into the team practice. And what about jumping rapidly on and off a box, 28-36in… I’m thinking the risk benifit ratio is leaning to the risk side. I know of athletes missing and getting stitches on their shins…The argument is always “this is our final 2 min drill”. wrestling coach or “_____ does it”