Depth Jump and Plyometrics

[Guest guest]

When doing depth jumps in place of squats, do you think it would be

better to land into a deep squat position such as a jump squat or to

just flex enough to reach the maximum height? All of the plyometric

books I've looked through state that the focus should be on getting

off the ground as fast as possible after landing but I also don't

want to overtrain part of the legs and neglect the other... Any

suggestions would be most appreciated.

Hay

Northville, Michigan

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[Guest guest]

In 1982 an article appeared in the German sportscience journal

Leistungssport about the advantages of a new plyometric drill, developed

by Prof.Bosco:

Bosco, C; Pittera, C: Zur Trainingswirkung

neuentwickelter Sprungubungen auf die Explosivkraft; Leistungssport

Vol.12, No.1, 1982, pg.36-39.

The new drill is jumping down and land in squat position (knee angle

90-110 degrees) and then jump up as high as possible. This instead of

focussing on a short contact time with minimum knees angles.

The article shows considerable larger improvements in jumping power and

height than with the classical plyometric exercises.

The test were done with the Italian national volleyball team.

Maybe time to get these results out of the closet again?

Henk Kraaijenhof

Amstelveen

Holland

When doing depth jumps in place of squats, do you think it would be

better to land into a deep squat position such as a jump squat or to

just flex enough to reach the maximum height? All of the plyometric

books I've looked through state that the focus should be on getting

off the ground as fast as possible after landing but I also don't

want to overtrain part of the legs and neglect the other... Any

suggestions would be most appreciated.

Hay

Northville, Michigan

* Please sign all letters with full name and city if you wish them

to be published.

[Guest guest]

,

When performing the depth jump, I would focus on minimizing ground contact

time. Do not be concerned with degree of flexion in the knee and hip.

Remember this exercise is targeting a neurological reaction. The stretch

reflex happens the moment the feet come it contact with the ground. By

allowing the body to absorb the bodyweight and continue into a deep squat

defeats the principle of minimum ground contact, which is so critical in

regards to sprinting and other dynamic movements. I recommend you do some

weighted squat jumps if you are concerned about developing countermovement

power from a greater degree of hip and knee flexion. I would also make sure

that the box that you are doing the depth jumps is not too high and the

athletes are not too heavy. These are my depth jump protocols: Under 200

lbs. box ht. is 18 inches. Over 200 lbs. box ht. is 12 inches. I also take

into account the amount of leg strength each athlete possesses. I hope this

sheds some light on the matter.

Drew Svoboda

The Woodlands, TX

Depth Jump and Plyometrics [adr][adr]

Importance: Low

When doing depth jumps in place of squats, do you think it would be

better to land into a deep squat position such as a jump squat or to

just flex enough to reach the maximum height? All of the plyometric

books I've looked through state that the focus should be on getting

off the ground as fast as possible after landing but I also don't

want to overtrain part of the legs and neglect the other... Any

suggestions would be most appreciated.

Hay

Northville, Michigan

* Please sign all letters with full name and city if you wish them

to be published.

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