hi, i just started getting back into things after this bad injury, this past week (and for the rest of the summer) i am working out every morning (not weights) on my basketball conditioning, sprinting, lateral speed, vert etc…
now the best results i’ve achieved vert/sprint wise have always been just to sprint & jump (5,10,20,40 yard sprints, alot of jumping/dunking etc)…
but well, my question lies in plyometrics, i dont really want to do depth jumps/box jumps, angle jumps or any of the more ‘dangerous’ or ‘shock’ versions of these jumping drills… this is because i still think my flexibility isnt good enough to perform these and especially with these injuries… i just dont want to stop progress for these next months…
ok with that being said (sorry for typing this long thread), would performing the less ‘shocking’ plyometric drills be ok? such as lunge jumps/squat jumps/“pogo”/single leg hops(sprints)… these are all listed as the ‘way less shocking to the body’ of the plyometric movements… ive done some of this before, it didnt seem that stressful on the body at all,
so basically im asking if anyone here with plyometrics experience thinks it is not a good idea to even do these lighter plyometric drills without the perfect foundation?
(the real problem i have is in my flexibility, i got really tight muscles, and yes, i do work on it twice a day! and making improvements, still tight as hell though )
ok so anyway thanks for any replies/even reading my long Q, also, HIGH POWERED PLYOMETRICS BY HUMAN KINETICS IS AN AWESOME BOOK, !!! peace
you should look at doing sets of jumps in a pool. it is a pretty good way to do pylometrics without putting stress on any joints. it also adds some resistance to the jumps.
only doing bodyweight things (abs/pushups/chinups) & bball… got a bad forearm tear two+ months ago (from lifting), and some odd pec tear/strain thing couple weeks ago (not from lifting!)…
the bball/conditioining is really helping me heel though… i could barely shoot a shot with my hurt arm about 3 weeks ago now im shooting/dribbling etc fine, back to normal it seems…
so ya im a mess! just trying to ‘rehab’ and get into perfect condition
cya
ps: if any of you have read that book, in that hop/jump table towards the end, how the hell do u single leg hop 25 yards in 2.5 seconds? hehe
If your injuries are only in your upper body i would still see if you can train your lower body (remember you have to be strong to be powerful, that strength base is important). As far as plyos go i would focus your first phase on perfecting your jumping skills, perfect your landing skills and slowly introduce the elastic component. Less intese means less contribution from gravity (jumping onto a box). Learn to land in a soft/controlled manner. Use linear and lateral drills. True plyos sound like they would be too much for you right now, rehab and intese plyos should not be in the same program together.
Any kind of jump-impact movement is going to have considerable impact on the joints.
Higher volume plyometrics (or repetitive plyometrics) are good, but if you’re that worried about flexibility and injuries, maybe you should just hit the weights, doing explosive “westside” type movements??
ya i shouldnt really say rehab… just laying off the weights until end of june… lower body is 100% fine, upper body has the injuries (that are getting alot better with the sprint/bball/conditioning stuff)…
i know what you guys are saying… i technically am doing some plyos right now with the sprinting etc… but a bunch of plyos at this stage wouldnt be wise i agree…
what kind of flexibility do they want you to have for full-blown plyos? i have the flexibility of a rock… is there any type of ‘tests’ to see if you have the right kind of flexibility for it? i know flexibility is very important in plyos (length of stretch + speed of eccentric to concentric action…)
Plyometrics along with weight training have inherited risks; there really is no completely safe exercise. You answered your own question you should work on stability (strength, balance, flexibility, ext.) first then maybe progress to Plyometrics drills but not before you build a proper foundation and that includes adequate flexibility. I think Plyometrics are over used by most S&C Coaches. By the way the book you mentioned is a pretty good book on Plyometrics training.
Hope that helps
