What is Plyometrics?
Plyometrics is an exercise regimen designed to make movements faster and more powerful at the same time. This method aims for the conversion of strength to speed in the shortest amount of time possible. It has many uses in the field of sports training which includes improving the height of the vertical jump.
The jumping process involves squatting and then suddenly straightening your legs in an explosive movement so that you are forced up into the air. Now, imagine that your calf muscles are replaced by an elastic material such as a rubber band. If you bend your legs, the calf muscles undergoes a stretch process much like stretching a rubber band. This phase in the jump when you load the elastic material (your muscles) with energy is referred to as the eccentric contraction. A subsequent phase of the jump is that of shortening the elastic material or your calf muscles which is just the process of releasing the energy by straightening your legs. This is referred to as the concentric contraction.
In between the eccentric and concentric contractions, there is a resting phase where your feet are forced into the ground. This very brief moment is called the amortization phase which is the phase just before the stored energy during the eccentric contraction is released explosively through the very quick concentric contraction. To achieve the release of maximum force, you need the squat and the straightening of your legs to happen rapidly in sequence in order for your jump to be more powerful. In other words, you need to go from eccentric to concentric contractions rapidly since the longer you stay in the resting phase or amortization phase, the more energy dissipates for the concentric contraction, which means less strength is available to be converted to speed, which directly affects the height of the jump.
The objective of plyometric exercises when used in training how to jump higher is to have the eccentric contraction be very quickly followed by the concentric contraction. The key is to have the resting moment reduced as much as possible to maximize the transfer of energy from your body to the ground.
