Latest / The Gill Athletics Track and Field Connections Podcast / #20: Gill1918 presents Glenn Smith "Optimizing the Integration of Plyometric Training""

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#20: Gill1918 presents Glenn Smith "Optimizing the Integration of Plyometric Training"" · The Gill Athletics Track and Field Connections Podcast

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  Welcome to the Gill 1918 Project, a podcast series by
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  coaches, for coaches powered by Gill Athletics.
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  Think of this as the Ted Talks of track and field coaching.
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  Short, insightful, and packed with valuable strategies to help
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  you grow as a coach. We'll bring in the once a year
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  track clinic straight to your ears daily.
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  Interested in creating your own episode?
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  Everyone's welcome to participate.
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  Check out the show notes below For more information.
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  Now let's get into today's topic.
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  This is Glenn Smith and today we're going to talk about how to
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  optimize the integration of plyometrics into track and field
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  training plans. What are plyometric activities?
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  In each plyometric there is an isometric bracing before impact,
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  then an amortization or yielding period where the body is
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  overcoming the force from the drop and yielding in the joints
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  and muscles and lengthening eccentrically energy stored in
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  the muscles and connective tissues, and then there is a
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  concentric release of the energy stored.
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  Plyometric training can improve the ability to change direction
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  quickly from like ecentric to concentric.
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  We often hear imply metrics that we need to apply as much force
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  as possible in the shortest amount of time.
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  However, faster and shorter contacts aren't always better.
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  There's an optimum amount and speed of yielding that must be
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  in harmony with the activity and the energy sword must be
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  released in the correct direction.
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  When designing training, a common concern is how to choose
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  exercises that transfer and enhance performance in the
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  competitive event. Plyometrics are one of the few
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  components where we can replicate movements at
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  velocities that are close to or above those seen in sport.
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  This allows them to have huge training effects if we program
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  them correctly. What I want to focus on is how
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  to select the best exercises for what you're trying to achieve
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  and what activities are best to a pair them with.
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  The first method we're going to look at is by length of the
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  ground contact time. So each movement has a certain
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  length of time on the ground, which creates a limit in how
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  much force we can apply. The faster the movement, the
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  less ground contact time and the less time to apply force.
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  So plyometrics can be chosen to replicate ground contact times
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  at key and moments in the events.
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  For example, when 100m sprinter is first pushing off the blocks,
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  they're on the blocks for around .4 seconds.
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  Then as they accelerate, they have less and less time to apply
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  force as the ground contact times decreases with each step.
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  In the 1st 10 meters, ground contact times average between
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  .13 to .15 and they'll gradually decrease until maximum speed
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  where at least printers are on the ground for just .08 seconds.
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  The plyometrics we choose need to enhance the force generation
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  within the time constraints we have that the ground contact
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  time creates. So plyometrics between .4 and
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  .14 seconds will have the most transferred to early
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  acceleration in the 1st 10 meters of 100m race.
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  Plyometrics in the .13 to .10 range better transfer to
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  acceleration up to 20 meters. By 30 meters sprinters are
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  reaching ground contact times of .09 to .08 seconds.
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  Plyometrics that create the best opportunity to improve maximum
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  speed would theoretically be in that time frame, but it's very
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  difficult to create ground contact times like that in
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  anything other than sprinting. One possible way is with
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  assisted plyometrics where the effect of gravity on the body is
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  reduced while the athlete attempts to produce as much
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  force as possible in a short ground contact time.
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  Some methods could be with stretched bands above above the
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  athlete, or possibly some other type of anti gravity device or
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  methods of towing. Biometrics can improve maximum
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  speed, but it's very difficult to replicate the ground contact
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  times of maximum velocity when looking at horizontal jumps.
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  The takeoff phases have ground contact times of about .14 to
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  .18. In my analysis of practices,
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  bounding from a stationary start creates ground contact times in
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  the .2 to .24 range, which is longer than the ground contact
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  time in any part of the event other than the first few steps.
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  However, if we had a a run up of just 6 to 8 steps, the ground
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  contact time drops 2.16 to .18, which is in the range that makes
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  it a lot more specific to the event.
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  As a coach, you need to invest time teaching good mechanics in
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  bounding and hopping in order to prevent injury and improve
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  performance. But once the athlete has
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  developed some mastery you'll need to get more specific by
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  adding a run up or a short dribble in to make the ground
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  contact times replicate the competitive event.
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  There are times as a coach I got stuck trying to perfect bounding
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  mechanics and we got exceptional measurements and bounds from
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  stationary starts, but they didn't seem to translate into
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  athletes performance and competition.
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  Adding some velocity to the plyometrics helps my athletes be
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  ready for the higher level performances earlier in the in
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  the season. Another way of working within
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  the ground contact times of competitive horizontal jump take
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  offs and even beyond is by using a towing device like the 1080
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  Sprint or the Dyna Speed. With these devices we can create
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  ground contact times with less energy spent running in and
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  return approaches, and we can possibly create even faster
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  ground contact times than the athlete can experience in
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  competition. Another way to select
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  plyometrics that have a high specificity is to replicate the
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  direction of force that you see in the event that you're trying
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  to train for. For example, when in sprinting,
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  the early steps have a large horizontal component.
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  We push off the blocks at approximately a 40 to 50° angle,
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  and the resulted angle of force climbs to almost 90° when we're
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  at maximum speed. When doing plyometrics to
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  complement early acceleration to use exercises with a more
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  horizontal to component like bounding or little hurdle hops
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  or boxes that are far apart. When planning plyometrics to
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  complement upright sprinting mechanics, use exercises with
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  more of a vertical component like hurdle hops or box jumps.
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  High jumpers should probably spend more time doing
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  plyometrics that are more vertically oriented, like higher
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  or closer boxes or hurdles. Java throwers might want to keep
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  things more horizontal in their crossovers and block, so they
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  should emphasize horizontal plyometrics. 1 technique that
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  might be used is jumping off a box or a platform in a mostly
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  horizontal direction and attempt to stop very quickly with a
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  softer right leg and an extended block leg of a right-handed
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  thrower. In our planning, we need to
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  consider how our training components progress over the
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  training year and how we measure improvement.
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  We may think that we need to progress by increasing the
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  hurdle or box height. However, the higher the hurdle
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  and the further further distance between the jumps, the longer
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  the ground contact time. So you may want to challenge
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  your athletes by attempting higher hurdles or boxes, but
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  you've got to consider what quality you're training.
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  High intensity plant metrics can have benefits of improving
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  eccentric strength and the ability to yield and control, so
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  they can still have great value. They can create higher muscle
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  tension and forces that are possible with any kind of weight
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  training you could do, but they're slower.
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  Ground contact times may be creating different adaptations
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  than you think they are. They might be used early in the
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  season to build strength and then smaller hurdles or where
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  the shorter ground contact times are emphasized are done later in
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  the season as they're more specific to what we see in our
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  events at that later point in the season.
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  Short ground contact times with the same height of box or hurdle
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  might be the measure of progress.
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  We can measure ground contact times with video or more
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  advanced technologies like the opto jump.
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  Another way we could select our plyometrics is by the force we
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  need to create in order to do them all.
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  Speed and the power events of track and field require large
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  forces to be successful, and plat metrics can create more
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  force than anything you could see in the weight room.
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  This makes them extremely valuable as a strength training
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  modality. A triple jumper landing in the
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  hot phase from a full run up creates forces up to 22 times
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  their body weight. It's impossible to create this
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  much tension in the weight room. If you're a triple jumper, you
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  need to go there. But as a sprinter, you might not
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  see the value in and the energy spent and the injury risk by
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  doing those kind of challenging plant metrics.
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  The forces may be way beyond the forces that you see in your
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  event, and the yielding phases are longer than what we see in
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  sprinting, so they might not have a good transfer.
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  Then we choose biometrics for maximum force.
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  The ground contact time also increases, so it's important in
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  determining the quality that you're trying to train in, the
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  choice of the plyometrics and where they might fit in your
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  program. Also what time of year you want
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  to include those type of sessions and you can decide if
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  it's worth it at all. Another way we might choose
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  plyometrics is by the speed and the length of the yielding
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  phase. So there's an optimal speed and
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  length of an amortization phase of plyometrics that needs to be
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  in harmony with the events. While we think of Climatrix,
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  often it's the shorter and most force the better, but it isn't
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  always the case. In the pole vault, the athlete
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  isometrically braces for the poles impact on the back of the
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  box, the shoulder joints absorb force and the muscles and
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  connective tissues get on a large stretch in the yielding
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  phase. And the abdominal stretch as a
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  take off leg thigh extends beyond the torso.
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  The pole is bending and moving to vertical and the athlete is
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  controlling the stretch. Once maximum stretch is achieved
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  and the pole is close to maximum band, the stretch is released
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  and the athlete uses it to swing and invert as they rotate around
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  their hands. We want the right amount of
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  speed of stretch. If we try to create the shortest
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  amortization, the athlete will just stop and not move the pole
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  to vertical. If they don't control the speed
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  of stretch and go limp, they won't be in be able to move the
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  pole either. Client metrics used to improve
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  the strength in the pole vault plant should have a longer
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  yielding time that is harmonic with the event.
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  One example could be overhead medicine ball throws where the
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  athletes hands are stretched above them and the athlete needs
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  to let the ball stretch them at the right speed and length of
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  stretch before they release the ball concentrically and throw.
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  Another example could be running and jumping to a bar over their
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  head or swinging on to a rope and timing up the advertisation
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  phase with a swing up in the hurdles for the penultimate and
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  take off steps. We want almost the shortest
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  amortization phase possible and to create great stiffness in the
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  hips, knees and ankles. If we're mushy and slow yielding
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  on the penultimate step, we'll lower too much, the take off leg
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  will stick out and far in front of us and we'll block the take
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  off and we'll tend to go too high over the hurdle.
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  We need to create a tight spring in our joints with a short
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  amortization phase and fast ground contact time.
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  Plyometrics can be used to replicate this with small flight
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  times and maximizing the ground contact time with exercises like
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  short hops, 4 to 6 inch boxes, or hurdles.
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  These exercises we're trying to create the most forces possible
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  in an extremely short period of time and to keep the
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  amortization phase short. When watching elite horizontal
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  jumpers up close, one thing that's always stood out to me is
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  how quiet they are when they're landing, even from full approach
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  jumps. Elite triple jumpers are masters
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  at controlling the yielding phase on time with the speeds
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  that they're travelling and can stand immense forces because of
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  their ability to control the timing and turn it into
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  concentric force in the correct direction.
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  It's much more than just the absolute amount of force you can
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  handle. Controlling the spring is a
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  trainable ability and it must be developed through plyometrics in
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  a throwing events. If we're designing plyometrics
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  for the upper or the lower body, you might choose plyometrics
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  with longer ground contact times for the discus than the shop
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  would. The discus has a much longer
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  delivery and time to exert force on the implement, so plyometrics
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  that we choose for that event should be replicated in javelin.
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  We may be looking for exercises with short abrupt stops in the
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  block leg but longer ones in the torso in the upper body.
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  Another factor in picking plyometrics is the joint angle
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  and key moments of the event. So you might analyze your events
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  and determine which joint angles there are key moments and select
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  plyometrics that replicate what you see in the javelin.
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  At the plant, the knee is very straight at touchdown.
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  We want an amortization phase that is really short and in
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  order to transfer the run up speed into the throw.
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  If we aren't strong enough to stick the block, we won't
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  transfer as much speed into the javelin and it'll have an
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  increased chance of fouling. Or we can waste throwing
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  distance by having to take extra steps.
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  After we've released it. We could use plyometrics where
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  the knees don't bend as much to try to replicate the knee at the
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  block. An example might be hurdle hops
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  or boxes where the hurdles are a little lower than the athlete is
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  capable of, but they're trying to keep the knee extremely
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  straight and much more so than normal.
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  When we are sprinting in the first steps, the knees and hips
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  are bent significantly more than an upright sprinting when we're
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  doing maximum velocity, so we might choose plyometrics where
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  the joints are bent more at impact.
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  If we're working on that acceleration when we're doing
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  upright sprinting, we could pair them with plyometrics where the
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  knee and the hip are more extended.
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  Another way we might pick our plyometrics is for those that
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  have less impact. So if we are trying to lessen
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  the impact for an athlete, we can do exercises like reflexive
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  eccentrics that are essentially plyometrics using weights
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  without leaving the ground. So these exercises involve
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  letting the body drop and quickly stop in the in the
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  yielding phase. The athlete either holds and
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  stops at that phase or reverses it immediately into a concentric
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  phase. Reflexive eccentrics can improve
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  the eccentric ability and the ability to control the yielding
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  without impact on the ground. They can be used to maintain
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  training qualities or work around an injury that requires
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  limiting impact for recovery. Some coaches use jumps onto a
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  box as a substitute for jumps on the ground to limit impact, but
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  they've got great limitations since there isn't any eccentric
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  component to that exercise. A more advanced technique to
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  improve the yielding and eccentric strength is attaching
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  bands to the bottom of a squat rack in order to accelerate the
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  body downwards faster than they could drop by themselves.
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  Plyometrics with variable heights can be used to teach
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  athletes timing and how to use ground contact to change
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  direction and manipulate the take off angle.
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  The variability of different components gives the athlete a
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  problem to solve and teaches them how to efficiently optimize
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  the ground contacts. Keeping the ground contact times
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  short and as quiet as possible is a measure of success.
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  The ability to jump quietly is a measure of how well the athletes
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  are coordinating their joints and transmitting energy into the
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  jumps. The ability to express force
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  elastically under fatigue situations is a very important
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  ability in endurance sprints, especially the hurdles.
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  Plyometrics can be chosen with sets that have a greater number
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  of contacts and greater durations of time to enhance
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  insurance. Another method for used in
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  insurance training is using plyometrics within extensive or
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  intensive tempo sessions like jump runs.
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  Another technique is to use plyometrics after endurance
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  sessions in order to improve the ability to use the elastic
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  system when you're fatigued. Elastic insurance plyometric
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  protocols could also be used to build capacity for jumpers to do
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  plyometrics and they'd usually be done in the general
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  preparation phase before moving on to higher intensity
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  plyometrics later in the year. During the Pacific prep or
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  competition phases, plyometrics can be placed in a warm up
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  before activities as a stimulation of the elastic
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  system or to prepare reflexes for the upcoming events.
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  Plyometrics can also improve the athletes coordination and the
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  timing. Some methods could be including
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  hurdle hops before sprints or some type of small hopping
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  drills before hurdling to create those fast steps we're trying to
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  create in short contract times. If you'd like to hear more about
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  program planning or coaching in general, please follow me on
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  Instagram at Glenn Smith 996 or reach out to me about e-mail at
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  gpsmith2051@gmail.com. I have a business where I help
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  coaches through mentoring programs and also work as a
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  consultant for some coaches to bounce ideas off of.
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  We'll also share ideas with of technique and watch their
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  athletes evolve over time through the programs.
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  I also coach athletes remotely online and I work with athletes
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  from high schoolers, post collegiates and masters
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  athletes. Hey gang, Mike Cunningham here.
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  Hey, I hope you enjoyed this episode of the Guild 1918
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  Project series. It's really my mission, my
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  passion to bring you massive amounts of value and I hope this
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  one hit the mark. The Gill 1918 Project is really
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  dependent on you if for you to build your own episode, to hear
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  your voice, to have your voice heard you have something to say
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  and teach other coaches out there.
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  So please get a hold of me, e-mail, text message, Twitter,
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  smoke signals, get a hold of me and let's help create your
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  episode of the Gill 1918 Project.
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  Hope you enjoy today. They will see you tomorrow.