Plyometric Video and progressions

Plyometric Video 1 Good technique: The overall jump is good, with the athlete reaching a good height whilst jumping. The athletes also uses her arm effectively in order to drive herself to jump onto the box. Things to improve: Once landed, the athlete needs to remain a neutral back position instead of the forward lean which is visible in the video. The athlete also needs to land with weight evenly distributed with flat feet instead of landing on the toes, this will also help the COM move to the best position. Although it is hard t see from the side angle, the knees slightly rotate internally, therefore the athlete need to make sure the knees stay aligned.

Plyometric Progression 1 Progression 1- Higher Box Good technique: Similarly to the first jump, the overall jump and the height reached with the jump is of a good level. The arm drive and the countermovement part prior to the jumps are good and definitely have a positive effect on the power output achieved to complete the successful jump. Things to improve: Once again, as she lands on her toes, her balance has been put off leading to the jump not being in total control, landing with an even foot position will control the whole process.

Plyometric Progression 2 Progression 2- Multiple Jumps Good technique: The first jump in this set of multiple jumps is a very good jump. The arm balance, the arm movement and the COM and landing of the jump is all very good. Things to improve: Opposite to the first jump, the second jump could be largely improved. The arm drive disappears in the second jump, as does the countermovement aspect. The landing of the second jump is also on the toes, again leading to loss of balance and an uncontrolled jump and landing.

These drills in relation to football: Plyometric box jump-This is a basic drill which will first assess and then train an athlete on basic power and speed through plyometrics. This drill is appropriate in terms of football as it will improve the general lower limb power of the athlete, and in a game situation this will lead to an improvement in a few areas including initial acceleration and jumping up for a header. Higher plyometric box jump- Although this progression is only simply increasing the size of the box being used, this increase can lead to an increase in jump height which in turn will lead to an increase in power output. These box jumps will continually train the SSC (strength-shortening cycle) which is an integral movement pattern within a football match. Multiple plyometric box jumps- This progression is a drill which will be a lot harder for the athlete to complete. The multiple box jumps again aims to improve the SSC but will also aim to improve reaction time with the second time. This is very relative to a game situation where the player will need to react quickly and then complete an action/movement.