Introduction
Jump height is an important factor in many different sports. As jump height is accepted to represent a good indicator of muscle power, vertical jumps have been used as tests of movement performance. In that sense, plyometric training proved to be an effective method in improving movement performance which gained popularity among trainers and athletes. However, the question of whether athletes who already show a high level of performance could improve their movements using plyometric training is still unknown. In that matter, an article published in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness (2001), called “Effects of plyometric training on jumping performance in junior basketball players “ shows the results of research conducted to study this issue.
Methods
The methods implemented in the research consisted of a series of training programs for three groups of 33 male junior basketball players aged 15-16, and participating in the premier national junior league. Before the training procedure, the maximum vertical jump height of the groups was recorded, as well as the results of isometric tests on the maximal voluntary force of hip and knee extensors and the rate of force development. The training programs consisted of all three groups participating in regular basketball training programs, with two groups additionally participating in additional plyometric training programs. The results of all three groups were recorded and compared to the pre and post-training scores.
Results
The results showed an expected increase in jumping heights for the two groups who performed the additional plyometric training, while the remaining group’s results were unchanged. There were also changes observed in the rate of force development of knee extensors in the same two groups with no changes in the control group. Additional comparison was also made between the changes among the groups, to distinguish the effects related to the training procedures. The results showed differences in post-training results when compared to the control group. The final analysis was made to compare the jump height, the results of isometric tests on the force of hip and knee extensors, and the rate of force development.
Conclusion/Discussion
The results show that jumping performance in all groups either in pre or post-test was either comparable or higher than the results of previously conducted similar researches, which implies the initial high jumping abilities in the chosen athletes and the fact that even a little plyometric training affected the jumping performance in elite junior athletes. Additionally, the changes in jump heights cannot be associated with the results of isometric tests as they could be based on other training effects which imply that additional complex sets of data should be recorded to analyze the effect of the isometric tests.
Application
The results of the tests imply that plyometric training could be effective in improving jumping performance even in high-level athletes. As the plyometric training is rather short, i.e. about 15 minutes, and the results of the study show that even short training programs could improve performance, the plyometric training could be used on regular basis with players from all performance levels. The results of the tests also imply the need for additional research with more data recorded to thoroughly test the relation between isometric tests and jumping performance in general.
Works Cited
Matavulj, D., et al. “Effects of Plyometric Training on Jumping Performance in Junior Basketball Players.” Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness 41.2 (2001): 159-64.