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| Conditioning for Plyometrics |
| Athletes need to undergo screening before starting plyometric workouts beause the exercises are vigorous and often work at the end of the available range of motion. |
| Assess flexibility and range of motion. Tight muscles might require stretching before exercise. Athletes need to have moderate strength for standard weight lifting exercises. |
| example: bench press squats deadlifts |
| Need to be able to use moderate to high loads in regular exercises before plyometrics is initiated. |
| example: power squat 60% of body weight 5 times in 5 seconds. |
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| Mel C. Siff's Strategies for Using Plyometrics |
| 1. Maximal plyometrics should not be done in aerobic settings because of their high injury potetnial for non-athletes and their requirements for a few minutes. |
| 2. Plyometrics are inteneded for specific sports preparation and must be taught by very experienced coaches on a bisis of sufficient strength and reactive ability. |
| 3. Depth jumping involved falling in a relaxed state, but not jumping off a box. |
| 4. Plyometrics strongly excite the central nervous system and can interfere with workouts several days later. |
| 5. No more than about 2-3 sets of 5-8 depth jumps should be done by the average athlete per session once or twice a week, properly integrated into a long-term strength-training program. |
| 6. A useful initial drill is hopping or skipping on the spot at a comfortable pace for a few sets of 25 reps, then progessing to hops as rapidly as possible. |
| 7. One must develop adequate jumpskills and eccentric strength with weights before commencing maximal plyometrics. |
| 8. Head posture and direction of gaze are important in controlling all aspects of depth jumping. |
| 9. Quality is far more important than quantity in plyometrics. |