Athletic Performance Toolbox

Plyometrics: Common Mistakes and Program Design

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There are tremendous benefits to be reaped from a properly administered plyometric training program. There are many factors to consider when designing and implementing a plyometric that will train your athletes to be more explosive. Understanding the science behind this type of training is paramount if you wish to maximize the benefits. Too often, coaches with good intentions, do more harm than good when using plyometric training. They might be using great exercises, but wrong sets/reps and inadequate rest. The end result is they do not get maximum benefits and the increase the risk of injury.

In the video clip below Daniel Dodd (C.S.C.S.) explains that the goals of his program are to apply the optimal amount of stress, sufficient amount of recovery time (between both exercises and sessions) and design that maximizes the training effect. He discusses several key mistakes that coaches make in the both the design and implementation of their plyometric training programs. He also talks about key factors to consider when designing a good program.

The clip is just a portion of Coach Dodd’s presentation at Glazier Athletic Performance Clinic. For information about gaining access to his Implementing Plyometrics into your Program presentation, as well as hundreds of other clinic presentations click the link Glazier Clinic Vault. If you are interested in attending a Glazier Clinic, you can click HERE to find near you.

Common Mistakes Made in Plyometric Training:

1. Lack of understanding of key scientific theories
2. Principles often overlooked at expense of added intentisty
3. Using plyometrics for conditioning. Lack of recovery reduces benefits and increases risk of injury
4. Emphasis on quality over quantity
5. Focus on force output instead of absorbing force. Over emphasis/inclusion of jumps onto boxes adn avoiding/excluding drops from boxes

Factors to Consider in Program Design

1. Need Analysis
2. Mode
3. intensity
4. Frequency
5. Duration
6. Recovery
7. Progression

Reminder that every session has a cost/benefit on the next session.

Prehab Drills: Injury Prevention

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We train our athletes to help them perform better. We try to make them stronger and faster. We strive to increase their explosiveness and improve their agility. Improvement in these areas will, without doubt, improve their performances. However, improving performance cannot be our only goal. The training that you provide should also help to reduce injuries. A good strength and conditioning coach designs his/her program with a good amount of prehab or injury prevention exercises included.

In the clip below former Maryland Strength and Conditioning Coach, Barry Kagan (C.S.C.S., L.M.T., R.N.) demonstrates 5 different exercises that he uses for prehab. Coach Kagan earned a Master’s Certification from the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association and has used his training to develop a DVD designed to prevent injuries. For more information about the DVD that this clip came from click the link Sport Performance Preparation: Injury Prevention – 100 Prehab Drills to Keep Athletes in the Game

The YouTube video below has sound, so please make sure that your sound is turned on and that you have access to the site. Some schools block access to YouTube.

The following is a brief recap of Coach Kagan’s exercises:

1. Pilates Style Crunch – Roll the tailbone up. Suck in the gut. Arms behind the neck. Abdomen should not move up and down when crunching up
2. Lateral Hip Drive – Starting in side plank position with l elbow on the ground, drive the hips up. Hold the position and move the free arm in all direction to force the core and shoulder to stabilize
3. Bicycle Crunch on a Stability Ball – Bring knees to opposite elbows. Go slow
4. Leg Throw Down – push the athletes legs down as the resist. Push in all directions. Be careful make sure the athlete can handle this exercise.
5. Leg Throw Down with a Hip Up – Same exercise, except when the athlete brings their legs up have them lift their hips up before pushing legs back down.

Performance Testing

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This article was provided by Training and Conditioning

By Patrick McHenry
Patrick McHenry, CSCS*D, is the Director of Strength & Conditioning at Castle View (Colo.) High School. He has presented to sport coaches, strength coaches, and physical education teachers at state, national, and international conferences. He is the former Colorado state director for the NSCA, was the chairman for the NSCA High School Special Interest Group, and is currently on the NSCA Board of Directors and Coaching Performance Committee.

When it comes to strength and conditioning, testing athletes is important. It allows a coach to determine where their student-athletes are now, what they need to work on, and where they should focus for improvement.

Testing is also the backbone of utilizing The Four Step Method, which enables a coach to build a successful strength program. These four steps include testing, evaluating, goal setting, and program design. (I will elaborate on the Four Step Method in a future article.)

I suggest using six exercises for performance testing, all of which are used in combine settings from college to professional and elite level, and none of which put your student-athletes in a potentially dangerous one repetition maxing situation. They include: Vertical Jump, Pro-Agility Run, 10 yard dash, Broad Jump, Medicine Ball Throw, and 3 Cone Drill.

These basic performance tests can be completed by any student-athlete, regardless of fitness level. When an athlete’s strength increases, their test scores improve. Research has shown a correlation between the vertical jump, sprinting, and clean (see references at end of article). When leg strength improves, the student-athlete will be able to lower their center of gravity, which helps their deceleration and improves their Pro-Agility Run time.

To get the most out of this method, videotape all the testing so you and the student-athlete can evaluate their performance. This can be done with a simple camera and the basic software that comes with most computers. For a more technologically advanced method, you can use Dartfish Software, which allows you to use slow motion, frame-by-frame analysis, or even side-by-side comparison.

An added advantage to video-taping is that video can be shown to parents if you meet with them. The parent will be able to see if their child is bending at the back or using their legs in the vertical jump. They can see if there is a difference in the deceleration phase of the Pro-Agility Run and watch their child’s form in the 10-yard sprint. As the student-athlete improves, previous videos can be compared with older ones, allowing the coach to show improvements in form and performance to the parent and the student-athlete.

Measure Height and Weight

Before I begin testing, I measure student-athletes’ height and body weight. Use the following procedures for accuracy.

Height: I like to measure height because it lets me know if an athlete is going through a growth spurt, in which can I can adjust their lifting program. The athletes are lined up in alphabetical order with their shoes off. An assistant should have a data record card to write down all information.

Equipment and Materials needed:

  • Device to measure height or a flat wall against which the athlete stands.
  • Measuring tape or marked area on wall.
  • Device to place on the head of the athlete that forms a right angle with the wall.

Procedure:

  • Athlete must have shoes off.
  • Athlete must stand with heels, buttocks, back, and head against wall.
  • Place device on athlete’s head so that a right angle is formed with the wall.
  • Measure to the nearest half inch and record the height.

Bodyweight: An athlete’s weight is used to calculate power output. The athletes are lined up in alphabetical order with their shoes off. An assistant should have a data record card to write down all information.

Equipment and Materials needed:

  • Scale

Procedure:

  • Athlete must weigh in with only t-shirt, shorts, and socks (no shoes or sweats).
  • Athlete should weigh prior to any activity to avoid fluctuations due to dehydration.
  • Round the bodyweight to the nearest whole pound.

Gathering Results

Logging results can be made easier by having a good form. An easy form can be made with an Excel spreadsheet. Having the students’ names on the left column and the tests on the top allows for easy scoring. For a more formal worksheet, type “sports performance testing spreadsheets” into Ask.com. The NSCA offers a “Guide to Tests & Assessments,” which is another great resource.

Performance Tests

Now you are ready to begin the tests. Throughout all of the following the tests, line up the student-athletes in alphabetical order to keep things moving faster. Have your data record card available to write down all information. Below are detailed descriptions of how to conduct each assessment.

Performance Test # 1: Vertical Jump

Equipment and Materials needed:

  • Device to measure vertical jump

Procedure:

  • Athlete stands next to the unit.
  • Make sure their feet and hips are next to the unit.
  • Athlete reaches as high as possible with one hand. This will be the starting point to measure from.
  • With feet flat, the athlete jumps, touching the highest point possible. No steps or shuffling the feet are allowed.
  • Record the jump to the nearest half inch.
  • Record the better of the two jumps.

Performance Test # 2: Pro-Agility Run

Equipment and Materials needed:

  • Electronic agility timer or a stop watch
  • Flat running surface on a wood, basketball-type floor
  • Floor tape
  • Measuring tape

Set up:

  • Place one tape line down on the floor.
  • Measure 5 yards from the line and put another tape line down.
  • Measure 5 yards from the center line and put a tape line down.

(You can use the lines of a volleyball court instead of putting tape down.)

Procedure:

  • The athlete stands in a two-point (athletic) stance, straddling the center line.
  • The athlete always begins by running to the right first.
  • The athlete runs 5 yards and touches the line with their right hand.
  • The athlete turns and runs 10 yards and touches the line with their left hand.
  • The athlete turns and runs 5 yards through the center line, for a total of 20 yards.

Performance Test # 3: 10-Yard Dash

Equipment and materials needed:

  • Electronic agility timer or a stop watch
  • Flat running surface on a wood, basketball-type floor
  • Floor tape
  • Measuring tape

Set up:

  • You can use the lines of a volleyball court instead of putting tape down, or
  • Use the tape that you put down for the Pro-Agility Run.

Procedure:

  • Athlete places one hand on the starting line.
  • The time begins when the athlete moves. (Look at the hand on the ground. When it moves, start the stop watch.)
  • The athlete runs through the finish line.
  • Alternate distances can be used. The 20-yard dash will measure powerful start and acceleration.

Performance Test # 4: Broad Jump

Equipment and Materials needed:

  • Flat running surface on a wood, basketball-type floor
  • Floor tape
  • Measuring tape

Set up:

  • You can use the lines of a volleyball court instead of putting tape down.
  • It is best to tape down the measuring tape so that it does not move.

Procedure:

  • Athlete stands behind the line.
  • Two feet jump. When the athlete lands, they are not to move.

 Performance Test # 5: Medicine Ball Throw

Equipment and Materials needed:

  • Flat running surface on a wood, basketball-type floor
  • Floor tape
  • Measuring tape
  • 3-kg medicine ball for males, 2-kg medicine ball for females.

Set up:

  • You will need a wall so the athletes can sit against it (or put their back against it, if you choose to do the standing medicine ball throw).
  • The tape measure will be against the wall.

Procedure:

  • Athlete will stand or sit down with their back against the wall.
  • Holding the medicine ball with both hands, the athlete pushes the ball with both hands equally.
  • The athlete maintains their back against the wall throughout the throw.

Performance Test # 6: 3 Cone Drill

Equipment and Materials needed:

  • Electronic agility timer or a stop watch
  • Flat running surface on a wood, basketball-type floor
  • Floor tape
  • Measuring tape

Set up:

  • You can use the lines of a volleyball court instead of putting tape down, or
  • Use the tape that you put down for the Pro Agility Run.

Procedure:

  • Athlete places on hand on the starting line.
  • The time begins when the athlete moves. (Look at the hand on the ground. When it moves, start the stop watch.)
  • The athlete runs runs to the top line, touching it with their right hand, turns and runs back to the starting line. They touch the starting line with the right hand and turn again running back to cone 2. The athlete goes around the cone and then to the inside of cone 3, around it and back around cone 2 to the starting line. Below is a diagram:

With baseline data on each student-athlete’s current performance, you can then analyze the results, set goals, and design a program. I will detail these steps in a future article. The next time you test, you should see measurable results, for individual student-athletes and for your team as a whole.

 

 

References:

1. Br J Sports Med. 2016 Jul;50(14):865-72.  Epub 2015 Nov 30.

Olympic weightlifting training improves vertical jump height in sportspeople: a systematic review with meta-analysis.

Hackett D1, Davies T1, Soomro N1, Halaki M1.

2. J Strength Cond Res. 2010 Sep;24(9):2440-8.

Vertical jump biomechanics after plyometric, weight lifting, and combined (weight lifting + plyometric) training.

Arabatzi F1, Kellis E, Saèz-Saez De Villarreal E.

3. Sports Med. 2014 Dec;44(12):1693-702. doi: 10.1007/s40279-014-0227-1.

Increases in lower-body strength transfer positively to sprint performance: a systematic review with meta-analysis.

Seitz LB1, Reyes A, Tran TT, Saez de Villarreal E, Haff GG.

 

Stretching for Hypertrophy

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By Chris Beardsley

Chris Beardsley  graduated from Durham University with a Masters Degree in 2001. He since contributed to the fields of sports science and sports medicine by working alongside researchers from Team GB boxing, the School of Sport and Recreation at Auckland University of Technology, the Faculty of Sport at the University of Ljubljana, the Department of Sport at Staffordshire University, and the College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University. He is also a Director at Strength and Conditioning Research Limited 

For more great information regarding strength and conditioning follow Chris on Twitter and Instagram

Surprising new research has shown that static stretching can increase muscle size (if not strength), even when the stretch is totally passive and involves no muscle activation at all. The key seems to be a fairly intense stretch, with progressively greater loading each workout.

Even though this comes as a surprise to many, there were already clues in the research, as rodent models had found that passive stretching could produce increases in p70S6K phosphorylation, which is part of the mTOR anabolic signaling pathway.

Such studies tend to show that active contractions and passive stretch can both cause increases in anabolic signaling activity, but that combined active and passive mechanical loading together are additive, and can produce the greatest changes.

This is probably why studies comparing strength training at long and short muscle lengths (such as full and partial squats) have typically reported greater hypertrophy in the groups training at long muscle lengths.

After all, the muscle contractions at the longer muscle lengths combine the active and passive mechanical loading to produce a greater hypertrophic stimulus.

Even so, this does not indicate that static stretching is always valuable for hypertrophy when performed at any time.

Although many bodybuilders use intense static stretching between sets of strength training, this may actually reduce hypertrophy by decreasing workout volume.

After all, strength training will always be the primary stimulus for hypertrophy, and if the static stretching has an adverse effect on the number of reps that can be performed in a workout, then it will be unhelpful overall.

This suggests that if static stretching is to be used in addition to strength training to increase muscle growth, then it should be performed at the end of a workout and not either beforehand or in between sets of strength training.

Squat Progression and Mobility Drills

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Improving mobility and teaching proper squat technique should be key components to every strength and conditioning program. In the video clip below. Micah Kurtz, Strength and Conditioning Coach at Oak Hill Academy, explains how his program is designed to do both and how he feels this has helped to reduce injuries. Coach Kurtz is quite proud of the fact that over a 3 1/2 year period the athletes that started with him as 8th graders have had zero back injuries and only 1 ACL injury.

In the clip below he details his daily mobility program as well as the squat progression that he uses to safely transition athletes to back squats. The video  is from Coach Kurtz’s presentation at a recent Glazier Athletic Performance Clinic. To gain access to Coach Kutz’s entire presentation entitled Building a Strength and Conditioning Program as well as access to hundreds of other high quality presentations from respected strength and conditioning coaches from around the country, click the link Glazier Clinics Vault.  If you are interested in attending a Glazier Athletic Performance Clinic click here to find one near you.

The video below has sound so please make sure that your sound is turned on.

Here is a quick summary of Coach Kurtz’s Mobility Exercises and Squat Progression:

Daily Mobility Work – completed prior to every lift

1. Wall Squats (facing the wall) – for technique and mobility
2. Hurdle Work
3. Cossack Squats
4. PVC Overhaed Squats
5. Foam Rolling

Squat Progression

1. Squats on Air
2. Dumbbell or Goblet Squats
3. Front Squats – Athletes must be able to do these properly before progressing to back squats. The athlete faces the wall. Toes are touching the wall. Arms are up. Hips move back and knees move out as the athlete moves down.
5. Back Squats – no one back squats until Feb. of their 9th grade year. It is at coaches discretion as to which athletes are ready for this exercise.