Objective This study aims to analyze the effects of plyometric training (PT) on physical fitness and skill-related performance in female basketball players. Method Five databases, including Web of ...Science, Scopus, PubMed, EBSCOhost, and Google Scholar, were used to select articles published up to 20 December 2023, using a combination of keywords related to PT and female basketball players. The risk of bias and the certainty of evidence in included articles were assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias (RoB2) tool and “The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation” (GRADE). Results Ten studies were included for the systematic review, and eight for the meta-analysis, totalling 246 female basketball players aged 14.5–22.5 years. Most of these players were highly trained. Most of the included studies exhibited concerns regarding the risk of bias. The PT programs lasted 4–8 weeks, conducted 2–3 sessions per week, with sessions lasting 20–90 min and including 29–190 jumps. In the systematic review, most studies showed that PT significantly improved performance in countermovement jump (CMJ), squat jump (SJ), Sargent jump, standing long jump, lateral hop, medicine ball throw, t -Test, Illinois agility, lane agility drill, linear 20-m sprint, stable and dynamic leg balance, dribbling, passing, shooting, and various basketball-specific tests, as well as increased muscle volume and thigh cross-sectional area. However, some studies showed PT to induce no significant changes in performance during CMJ, t -Test, Illinois agility, knee extensor/flexor strength, linear sprint, and single leg balance tests. In the meta-analysis, CMJ height (ES = 0.37; p = 0.036), vertical jump (VJ) peak power (ES = 0.57; p = 0.015), VJ peak velocity (ES = 0.26; p = 0.004), and t -Test performance time (ES = 0.32; p = 0.004) were significantly improved with small effects following PT. Conclusion The effect of PT on performance in female basketball players was mixed. Most studies indicated that PT could improve various measures of physical fitness and skill-related performance, but performance remained unchanged in some tests. More studies with established tests are needed to investigate the effect of PT on female basketball players in the future. Systematic Review Registration: https://inplasy.com/ , Identifier INPLASY2023120078.
BACKGROUND: Handball is a strenuous contact sport placing emphasis on running, jumping, throwing, hitting, blocking, and pushing. Various technical and tactical skills are required for this dynamic ...sport, namely speed, agility, balance, power, strength, and coordination. Hence, the aim of the present study was to assess the changes in the physical fitness components with 8 weeks of plyometric training and core training given to the handball players and to compare the effect of both training methods on the handball players.
METHODS: Sixty players were randomly selected to participate in the study. The players were divided into three groups, namely Group A (plyometric), Group B (core), and Group C (control) (n = 20 each). The speed was assessed with 40 m dash sprint, agility by Illinois agility test, and lower limb power by isokinetic dynamometer (BIODEX). The experimental group underwent their respective trainings, and the control underwent conventional training. The posttraining results were recorded after 8 weeks of training.
RESULTS: There was a significant difference within the groups, but there was no significant difference between the three groups.
CONCLUSION: Both training methods were equally beneficial for the improvement in sprinting speed, Illinois agility test, and lower limb power.
The study purpose was to identify the effects of a combination of plyometric exercises in the increasing leg and arm power abilities of volleyball athletes.
Materials and methods. Forty students were ...involved in this study. They were students who were active in practicing volleyball, and then they were divided into four groups of 10 students each, namely (1) Squat thrust jumps and clap push-ups, (2) Squat thrust jumps and lateral push-ups, (3) Rope jumps and clap push-ups; and (4) Rope jumps and lateral push-ups. Then they practiced plyometrics three times a week for eight weeks. Statistical analysis used the t-test and the N-Gain Score using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 26 program.
Results. The results of the combination of plyometric exercises stated that it had an effect on the muscle power of both the legs and arms (p<0.05); then, the results showed the combination of squat thrust and lateral push-up exercises was effective in increasing the ability of leg muscle power by 84.43% while the variety of squat thrust jump exercises and clap push-ups provide effectiveness in increasing arm muscle power by 25.23%.
Conclusions. The variety of these two types of plyometric exercises was successful in helping volleyball athletes improve their vertical jump abilities. Still, from the results of this study, it was not very effective in increasing the capacity of arm muscle power.
Bone stress injury (BSI) is prevalent in female distance runners. Menstrual disturbances are associated with impaired bone health in endurance athletes. This study aimed to investigate the ...association between menstrual function and BSI and explore whether plyometric training may protect against BSI in individuals with menstrual disturbances. Competitive female distance runners (n = 183) aged 18-40 years were surveyed for training habits, menstrual function, and BSI, during the previous 12 months. Oligo/amenorrhoea during the previous 12 months (<9 menses) was deemed to indicate menstrual disturbance; hormonal contraceptive users and those previously diagnosed with a pathology that impacted menstrual function were excluded. BSI incidence rate was 2.25 (p = 0.02, 95% CI: 1.14-4.41) times greater in oligo/amenorrhoeic than eumenorrhoeic runners. BSI incidence rate was similar in oligo/amenorrhoeic and eumenorrhoeic runners that did plyometric training, but 3.78 (p = 0.001, 95% CI: 1.68-8.5) times greater in oligo/amenorrhoeic versus eumenorrhoeic runners that did not. However, the effect of plyometrics was non-significant (menstrual function × plyometric training interaction, p = 0.06; main effect, p = 0.89). Conventional plyometric training may not reduce BSI incidence in female distance runners, but menstrual disturbances and prolonged periods of low energy availability should be avoided.
Plyometric exercises are a training stimulus that were developed in an attempt to bridge the gap between weight room muscular strength exercises and the speed or power needed on the track, field or ...court. Verkhoshansky (2018) uses physics to describe his method of plyometrics where a falling body creates kinetic energy which, upon impact with the ground, causes a high degree of muscle tension. The impact stimulates high threshold motor neurons and these, along with elastic energy, create the potential for an enhanced stretch shortening cycle with minimal amortization. This modality of training is a well-established method to improve vertical jumping ability (Adams et al., and Fatourous et al., 2000), and sprinting abilities as well (Miller 1980; Chu 1983), however, there still seems to be confusion surrounding its application. With most of the early research on plyometrics coming from Russia, a lot of the early information was lost in translation which lead to misapplication in the United States (Verkhoshansky, 2018). One clear example of this is in the execution of a drop jump versus a depth jump, and the appropriate height for each of these exercises (Verkhoshansky, 2018). The depth jump was typically performed on a 75cm box, with a larger countermovement, and an end goal of jumping as high as possible, while the drop jump typically used 30-45cm, landing with stiff legs and a minimal countermovement, sought to minimize ground contact times through the usage of elastic energy, while maximizing vertical displacement (Verkhoshansky, 2018). Researchers have shown that these exercises are capable of improving performance, but it has been hard to pinpoint the mechanism behind the adaptations. Vershoshansky (2018) indicated that when depth jumps are incorporated into a training cycle, they actually replace the heavy squat, yet at the end of the cycle his athletes’ squat maxes would increase. This would indicate that improved strength and force production could be a driving force behind the improvements in running speed and jumping abilities. Looking at this explanation, investigators might need to look at the neural aspects of movement including motor unit recruitment and increased muscle activation to find the process behind adaption and improved athletic performance as well as looking at the stretch-shortening cycle itself as the elastic energy minimizes the amortization phase. Verkhoshansky (1979) believed the neuromuscular system’s reaction to plyometric activity to be protective in nature and a result of either utilization of the stretch reflex, elastic energy recoil, or increased CNS activation due to rapid eccentric movements. If a more precise channel for what creates the adaptation is found it may allow for better programming which would not only enhance the adaptation but could lead to a reduction in injury. Therefore, the purpose of the review of literature is not to show that this modality of exercise can enhance athletic performance but, to gain an understanding on what mechanism drives the adaptation.
Watkins, CM, Gill, ND, Maunder, E, Downes, P, Young, JD, McGuigan, MR, and Storey, AG. The effect of low-volume preseason plyometric training on force-velocity profiles in semiprofessional rugby ...union players. J Strength Cond Res 35(3): 604-615, 2021-Rugby union is a physically demanding and complex team sport requiring athletes across all positions to express speed and acceleration. Plyometrics can effectively improve speed profiles by enhancing both force- and velocity-(FV) characteristics; however, the optimal dose and exercise direction for trained athletes is still relatively unknown. Therefore, the aim of this investigation was to determine the efficacy of a low-dose, directionally specific plyometric training program for improving speed profiles in semiprofessional rugby players. Players were randomly allocated to one of 2 plyometric training groups that performed low-volume (40-60 ground contacts per session) plyometrics twice weekly, or a control group that did not participate in any plyometric training. The 2 training groups underwent reverse back-to-back three-week vertically and horizontally focused plyometric training programs, with a 12-day washout. Body composition, aerobic capacity, and sprint performance (10-, 20-, 30-m split time, horizontal FV profile) were measured. During the intervention, HV-1 (horizontal/vertical training group 1) improved sprint performance (n = 12; ∆30 m = -0.020 seconds; p = 0.038), VH-2 (vertical/horizontal training group 2) maintained sprint performance (n = 8; ∆30 m = +0.049 seconds; p = 0.377), and the control group progressively declined in sprint performance (n = 12; ∆30 m = +0.071; p = 0.019). In addition, vertical plyometrics may preferentially benefit secondary acceleration (∆10-20 m split time: -0.01 seconds; p = 0.03) and many force-oriented FV profile characteristics. Correlational analyses (r2 = -0.568 to 0.515) showed sprint improvements were hindered in athletes with lower initial aerobic fitness, suggesting accumulated fatigue may have limited the magnitude of adaptation. Therefore, including low-volume plyometric training may be beneficial for improving sprint profiles or attenuating decrements realized during periods of high-volume sport-specific training.
This study was performed to clarify the kinetic and kinematic properties of trunk motion while performing the bar twist exercise. The increasing length and increasing mass of the exercise bars were ...taken as the independent variables. A total of 21 male athletes who regularly performed strength and power training were included in the study. The bar twist exercise was performed using 5 bars, comprising 1 bar 2.00 m in length and 10.00 kg in weight (NB), 2 long bars with an increased length without changing the mass (2LB, 3LB), and 2 heavy bars with a mass that was increased by adding weight to the bar without changing the length (2HB, 3HB). The three-dimensional kinetic and kinematic variables were then calculated. The principal findings were as follows: 1) The torque of the trunk twist increased as the length or mass of the bar was increased. 2) The torques of trunk flexion and lateral flexion to the left against translational motion were greater for HB than for LB (flexion (Nm⁄kg): 3LB 0.23 ± 0.22 < 3HB 0.34 ± 0.25; lateral flexion to the left (Nm⁄kg): 2LB 0.35 ± 0.23 < 2HB 0.39 ± 0.28, 3LB 0.33 ± 0.21 < 3HB 0.35 ± 0.28, Nm⁄kg). 3) The rate of torque development (RTD) of trunk twist torque was greater for LB than for HB (2HB: 6.90 ± 3.22 < 2LB: 7.84 ± 2.58, 3HB: 6.09 ± 1.63 < 3LB: 6.88 ± 2.13, Nm⁄s⁄kg). However, the RTD of trunk twist torque for LB and HB was smaller than for NB (9.13 ± 2.53 Nm⁄s⁄kg). These results indicate that the trunk twist torque increases with the moment of inertia of the bar due to theincrease in length or mass, which is a standard feature. In contrast, it was suggested that the increase in masscontributed to the increase in trunk flexion–extension and lateral bending torque. The RTD of trunk twist torquewas decreased due to the increase in length or mass. However, the amount of decrease in RTD of trunk twisttorque was smaller for LB than for HB.
Strength training in hypoxia has been shown to enhance hypertrophy and function of skeletal muscle, however, the effects of plyometric training in hypoxia is relatively unknown. Therefore, this study ...aimed to examine the effects of plyometric training in hypoxia compared to normoxia on body composition, sprint and jump parameters. Twenty-three male physical education students (20.4±2.0 years, mean±SD) participated in the study and were divided into a plyometric training in hypoxia (PTH, n=8), plyometric training in normoxia (PTN, n=7) or control group (C, n=8). The PTH group trained in normobaric hypoxia (approximately 3536 m) 3 days/week for 8 weeks, while the PTN trained in normoxia. PTH induced significant improvements from baseline to post-testing in countermovement-jump (37.8±6.7 cm, 43.4±5.0 cm, p<0.05), squat-jump (35.4±6.2 cm, 41.1±5.7 cm, p<0.05), drop-jump height (32.8±6 cm, 38.1±6 cm, p<0.05) and 20-m sprint performance (3257.1±109.5 ms, 3145.8±83.6 ms, p<0.05); whereas PTN produced significant improvement only in countermovement-jump (37.3±4.8 cm, 40.5±4.5 cm, p<0.05) and 20-m sprint performance (3209.: 3±76.1 ms, 3126.6±100.4 ms, p<0.05). Plyometric training under hypoxic conditions induces greater improvement in some jump measures (drop-jump and squat-jump) compared to similar training in normoxia.
Dello Iacono, A, Martone, D, and Padulo, J. Acute effects of drop-jump protocols on explosive performances of elite handball players. J Strength Cond Res 30(11): 3122-3133, 2016-This study aimed to ...assess the acute effects of vertical and horizontal drop jump-based postactivation potentiation (PAP) protocols on neuromuscular abilities in tasks such as jumping, sprinting, and change of direction (COD). Eighteen handball players were assessed before and after PAP regimens, consisting of either vertical single-leg drop-jumps (VDJ) or horizontal single-leg drop-jumps (HDJ) single-leg drop-jumps, on countermovement jump (CMJ), linear sprint, shuttle sprint, and agility performance. The HDJ led to greater improvement of the COD performance in comparison with the VDJ (-6.8 vs. -1.3%; p ≤ 0.05), whereas the VDJ caused greater improvement in the CMJ task compared with the HDJs (+6.5 vs. +1%; p ≤ 0.05). Moreover, the VDJ regimens compared with HDJ induced greater changes in most of the kinetic variables associated with vertical jumping performance, such as peak ground reaction forces (+9.6 vs. +1.3%), vertical displacement (-13.4 vs. -5.3%), leg-spring stiffness (+18.6 vs. +3.6%), contact time (-9.2 vs. -1.3%), and reactive strength index (+7.3 vs. +2.4%) (all comparisons with p ≤ 0.05). Conversely, the HDJ regimens were able to improve the COD performance only by reducing the contact time on COD more than the VDJ (-13.3 vs. -2.4% with p ≤ 0.05). The results showed that both PAPs were able to improve the performances that specifically featured similar force-orientation production. This investigation showed the crucial role that different and specific PAP regimens play in optimizing related functional performances. Specifically oriented vertical and horizontal single-leg drop-jump protocols represent viable means for achieving enhanced explosive-based tasks such as jumping and COD.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of implementing task-specific, post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE) strategies, to acutely improve Army Combat Fitness Test ...(ACFT) performance. Nineteen ROTC cadets completed two ACFTs, separated by 72 hours. Approximately half (n = 10) completed the traditional "Preparation Drill" as their warm-up prior to the first session and added PAPE warm-up strategies as part of their second session. The other group (n = 9) completed the treatments in the opposite order to facilitate a repeated-measures, crossover design. The participants' composite ACFT score was used as the primary outcome measure of interest to explore mean difference in a two-way (Time x Treatment), repeated measures ANOVA. There was no interaction F(1,8) = 0.075,
= 0.79 nor main effect of treatment F(1,8) = 0.084,
= 0.78. However, there was a main effect of Time F(1,8) = 58.87, p < 0.001,
= 0.25 (mean ACFT score ± SD: Session 1 = 527 ± 43, Session 2 = 537 ± 39). The results of this study did not support the use of additional PAPE strategies to improve ACFT performance. However, there was a practice effect when the test was completed twice, separated by 72 hours in those with ACFT experience. The effect of Time was present for ACFT cumulative score, as well as event-level differences in three out of six events. Further research should implement familiarization sessions to minimize a practice effect from influencing results.
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