Plyometrics can improve your volleyball game

Have you ever played a sport like volleyball and wanted to know how you can jump higher, move faster and improve your overall game? Beach volleyball season has started up again on the island and Horseshoe Bay is now packed during the weekday evenings with all levels getting involved, from the pros to the beginner just trying to get that serve over the net.

I have been working with Bermudian volleyball player David Gletsu, in his preparation for the Island Games being held in Bermuda later next month. My main focus on David’s conditioning programme is Plyometric training as it is fundamentally the most effective training method in any sport that involves jumping, lifting or throwing.

Plyometrics is the term now applied to exercises that have their roots in Eastern Europe, where they were first known simply as ‘jump training.’ Interest grew in the 1970s when the Eastern Bloc nations emerged as superpowers on the world sport scene especially in track and field, gymnastics and weightlifting.

‘Plyo’ and ‘metrics’ are based on Latin origins and its interpretation means ‘measurable increases’. This type of training was thought to be responsible for the rapid competitiveness of the Eastern Europeans in track and field during multiple Olympic Games.

Throughout the 1980s, coaches in sports such as volleyball, football and basketball began to use this philosophy. From the 1990s onwards, a great deal of research was taken to verify the safety and effectiveness of these exercises. Today, it is considered an essential component of any athlete’s conditioning programme.

Plyometric training is defined as exercises that enable a muscle to reach its maximum strength in as short a time as possible, known as power. 

Power is being able to store and release energy efficiently. 

Everything we do has some sort of elastic component to it, especially volleyball. The more efficiently we can store and release energy, the less effort we have to give. Think of your body as a pogo stick. The metal framework is similar to your core, shoulders and hips and the springs are like your muscles. We want our bodies to be able to store and release energy powerfully, just like that pogo stick.

Plyometric training will help you in volleyball but also in everyday life. Every move you make has an elastic component. When you jump, you stretch muscles. They release energy to propel you upwards. Elasticity is your body’s shocks and springs.

This training also teaches your body how to reduce force which is just as important as generating it. Lots of injuries occur from not decelerating quickly enough. Think about when you land from a big jump. Elasticity will help you slam on the brakes.

The jumps in plyometrics can be classified as jumps in place, standing jumps, multiple hops and jumps, bounding, box drills and depth jumps. 

These exercises can be adapted to virtually every sport to help enhance the movements performed. By mimicking certain movements in plyometric training, athletes can quicken movement time and become more powerful.

In volleyball, the most effective drills are the depth jump, lunge jump and the jump and reach. 

Depth Jump

The depth jump starts with standing on a 12 inch box with toes close to the edge. You then step off the box and drop to land on both feet. Anticipate the landing and spring up as quickly as you can. Make the ground contact as short as possible. Perform three sets of 10 repetitions.

Lunge Jump

The lunge jump starts with feet in a lunge position with front leg 90 degrees at the hip and 90 degrees at the knee. 

Jump up using your arms to help you and land back in a lunge. Hold position for two seconds and immediately repeat. Perform three sets of 10 repetitions on each leg.

Jump and Reach

With the jump and reach, choose a high object or marking on a wall and stand underneath with shoulder width stance. Jump up continuously reaching for the object or mark with alternating hands. 

Time on the ground should be minimal. Perform three sets of 10 repetitions.

As you will notice, this is only three exercises but less is more with plyometric training. Ligaments and tendons heal at a rate of about six times slower than muscle tissue. 

The amount of rest in between sets is also crucial. A work to rest ratio of 1:5 to 1:10 is required to assure proper execution and intensity of the exercise. So, if a single set of the jump and reach exercise takes 10 seconds to complete, give yourself 50 to 100 seconds rest before the next set.

Try to incorporate some plyometric training in your workouts over the summer and you’ll be challenging for the title of King or Queen of the Beach!