What are Plyometrics?

Almost anyone who has trained, or is training  to improve their speed or vertical jump has enountered the word “plyometrics,” yet very few trainees, or even trainers, have an adequate understanding of what plyometrics are.  Many coaches like to bandy about buzz words in order to create an aura of knowledge about them. This sort of marketing is exactly what we are trying to avoid. Any advice given on this site will have be well reasoned, researched, and tested. Now, with that in mind, I will now explain what  plyometrics are.

The word plyometrics refers to method of training which encompass a variety of movements that are, in nature, reactive. This method of training is used to train one’s reactive or plyometric ability through the utilization of reactive exercises.Plyometric ability is the ability to quickly contract your tendons and muscle group as a reaction to a rapid stretch. A reactive exercise is an exercise that requires you to use your plyometric ability to the extent of your capabilities. Example movements which rely largely on plyometric (or reactive) ability include: vertical jumps of any kind, long jumps, and sprints. There are many exercises which can be utilized to develop your reactive ability, but we will come to that in later articles.