How do we perfect the hop in continuation with the step?

One of the most important exercises for triple jumpers is “Plyometric” When I`m speaking of the term plyometrics, I am speaking of the use of the deep jumps in their most natural variant, I mean double contact. However from this variant, there are also other variants which can serve for practical work for coaches with a view to developing the power of the jumpers.

All of them are closely linked with Athletics but this doesn't mean they couldn't be used by other sports specialists.

I`ll show you these simple examples that can be used by high performance athletes and also by young people who begin their life as a jumper.

Deep jumps with double contact

This is the most recommended option for athletes who are new to the practice of this kind of jump. In this sense it should be included at the end of the general preparation phase and the beginning of the special phase preparatory period in order to create a foundation of strength that continues the use of the remaining deep jumps variants with simple contact.

Example: (static position), from the box, jump off with both feet-  landing on one leg and perform two explosive jumps, I mean a big hop followed by two low explosive jumps.

After the fall, we can perform the following combinations:

Perform a long jump, and keep the lunge position in the air,

Overcome two hurdles consecutively, with the proviso that the last hurdle must be of greater height

Touching an object hanging above the site of the fall

Deep Jump (double contact) with additional counterweights, such weight or weight vest

During the execution of this exercise, unlike the previous one, the coach shouldn't ever lose sight of the height of the fall; this should be about 40 cm or less. However, the coach must pay close attention to gender and skill level of the athletes when selecting this variant. Many athletes use a box of up to 50 cm height, thinking they can improve the impact strength after landing of each jump, and what they don` t know is that they are destroying the power of reaction and increasing the risk of bad injuries. In my experience as a professional coach, it is not the height which determines the power improvement of the athlete, but the technique with which the exercise is being applied, for each of the jumpers.

Deep jumps (single contact) after the fall do the following combinations:

Example: 1 execute a long jump (hop jump)

This version starts with the technical execution of a "hop" and after the fall, performing a long jump into the sandpit for the proper execution of the exercise. So I recommend calculating the distance from the place of the fall to the sandpit. Here the indicator is, the horizontal distance overcome in the second jump.

Example: 2 overcoming an obstacle after the fall

This is the second variant used in the training of jumper’s (mainly triple jumpers), and from it, we can make other combinations with the approach run. The initial move in this variant also begins with the execution of the technique of a "hop". After the fall, the athlete must overcome a certain obstacle placed at a certain height in contrast with the previous exercise.

Example: 3 From 6 strides, perform a hop jump.

This exercise is a very difficult exercise for all the jumpers. If an athlete has never worked on the basis of development for the triple jump, it will be difficult to perform this exercise at 100%. The athlete will have to spend at least 8 or 9 months to realize it in perfection.

Example: 4 perform a triple jump (static or standing position) using cone,

The technical implementation of this exercise is similar to the triple jump without approach run, using cones to work the distance in combination with the pace.

These are a few easy examples of plyometric exercises, and I will discuss this topic further in my next blog post.