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Powerful Plyometrics for Speed

Training plyometrics for speed is an excellent way of getting faster. Speed is an essential part of many sports, and being faster than your opponent always gives you the edge.

Plyometrics for speed can help you do better in a variety of sports, especially these sprinters.

You can develop that edge through plyometric training, programs, and exercises that push your speed to new levels. Work hard and you'll get tons faster!

How do Plyometrics Build Speed?

Plyometric training is specifically designed to make your muscular contractions more explosive: To make them happen more forcefully in the same amount of time, or to shorten the time it takes for them to contract as forcefully.

Or both!

So, when you work on plyometrics for speed you've gotta focus on making your muscle contractions happen faster. Of course, there are a few tips for helping this along.

1. Focus on Speed

It's trite, but true. When you do your plyometrics drills, have a relaxed focus on doing them as fast as possible.

Don't put a ton of pressure on yourself - that'll make you tense up and go slower. Just keep that relaxed focus on performing as fast as you can.

2. Do NOT Fatigue Yourself

Plyometrics for speed train your muscles to contract fast. You're focusing on just using those fast twitch muscle fibers, not the slower twitch endurance fibers.

As you tire, your muscle contractions slow down. So, don't work to the point of fatigue!

Only do plyometric exercises when you can focus on doing them fast, and in small sets. This keeps the quality of your form high when doing these exercises.

3. Do Exercises That Mimic Sports Moves

If you want to snap a punch out there, do clapping push-ups or inclide depth push-ups. If you're a sprinter, try jump squats.

Do you do a lot of turning while in a small stance? Do you primarily move side to side, maintaining your stance, and only face one direction?

Try to make the movements of your exercise mimic your sports movements. That will give you the most carryover benefit from your training to your activities.

4. Test Yourself

This is extremely important to find out if your training is paying off. Test yourself before you do your exercises and then after you've been doing them for 6, 8, or 12 weeks. Keep the tests the same (speeds or weights lifted in specific exercises, movement drills, etc.) to see your progress.

You can have a friends time your running, punches, kicks, etc. If you want to be really elite and anal about it, film you movements and then compare your speed there.

Bottom line: Gauge your progress so you know that you ARE progressing.

Perfecting Your Speed Training

The best way to increase the pace of your muscular contractions is through plyometrics for speed. However, if you're going for speed in sports, athletics, or martial arts there are other parts that make up the greater whole of your speed.

There's mental relaxation, perception speed of when someone else moves, mental decision speed of what you're going to do, initiation speed (moving from your on-guard position into your movement), and finally your performance speed (how fast you do whatever it is you're doing; this is what your plyometrics are training you for).

Plyometrics are an important part of a complete speed training regime. But they are not the whole regime alone.

What to do Next...

Now, find the plyometric exercises that will work best for you. There are tons on this site, upper and lower body plyometric exercises, as well as information on jump training. Find what you need & go for it!

• Click HERE to learn more about plyometrics!

OR

• Click HERE to leave 'Plyometrics for Speed' & go back to the Home-page!



References:
Chu, Donald A. 1998. Jumping Into Plyometrics. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.


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