Plyometric drills are used in many sports training programs to help build speed, power, improve coordination, agility, and improve sports performance. Any athlete that participates in sports that involve jumping, landing, or explosive moves can benefit from plyometric drills. Many plyometric exercises are especially geared toward football training.
If you’ve never hear of plyometric exercises here’s a quick definition. “Plyometric training involves high-intensity, explosive muscular contractions that invoke the stretch reflex (stretching the muscle before it contracts so that it contracts with greater force).” Elizabeth Quinn~About.Com Sports Medicine
There are a couple of workout DVD’s that have plyometric routines built into the workout. I’ve done Tony Horton’s P90X and Shaun T’s Insanity DVD’s. Both have some pretty intense moves in their workouts. If you don’t have access to those DVD’s, you can do these exercises on your own.
Incorporate the movements into your regular cardio workout as an interval training of sorts. For example: Run about 100 feet, and do about 20-30 reps of a move. Then, run another 100 feet, and do 20-30 of a different move. Continue, until you’ve run about a mile. You’ll be exhausted and sweating like crazy when you’re done!
Here are 3 of my favorite plyometric moves for football training.
Jump Squat~ My trainer loves this drill. Me…not so much. I could only manage to do two. The rest of the drill I did regular squats. This drill is not for the weak. See if you can last 20 minutes. My son did.
To perform this drill, stand with your feet parallel and shoulder-width apart. Ease into a squat. Remember to keep your back straight and your buttocks tight. At the bottom of the squat, quickly explode up leaping off the ground. Land softly, and repeat.
Airborne Heisman~ This drill is fun! I get to pretend I’m the guy catching the football on the Heisman trophy, and increase my strength all at the same time!
For this plyometric drill, start with your feet together, and jump sideways. As soon as you land, bring the opposite knee to your chest like the guy on the trophy. Repeat back and forth.
Jump Knee Tuck~ This is another plyometric drill my trainer likes to have us do. I pass on this exercise, but my son can do them for minutes on end. I’m working my way into this drill.
Your upper body should be relaxed while performing this exercise. Jump up and pull your knees into your chest. Repeat. You can modify by lowering your hands to decrease jump height or you can raise your hands to increase jump height.
These 3 plyometric drills will help with football positions that require you to explosively jump and reach for the football. Try doing theses plyometric drills to failure for a real challenge, or do them 3 or 4 sets with about 20-30 reps in each set. Combined with your other football drills, you should see and increase in speed and agility.
I must add a disclaimer: You should always consult your physican before starting any exercise program. There is a risk of injury in performing these plyometric movements. Make sure you have proper supportive shoes to reduce the risk of injury.
