'Athlete' means any individual participating in fitness training and conditioning, sports or other competitions, practices or activities requiring physical strength, agility, flexibility, range of motion, speed or stamina, generally conducted in association with an educational institution, or professional or amateur sports activity.

The total athlete is developed through a combination of strength training, speed training, agility training and flexibility. In order to improve in any sport, the total athlete must not only practice the skills of his / her sport but also utilize a program that will increase sport-specific strength and agility. Through the use of these programs one can trick their nervous system into adding 500 lbs or more of UPWARD FORCE into jumping skills. An athletic training program not only gets you up higher, it also gets you up faster! After using an athletic training program, you will get off the ground much quicker which is the key to blocking shots and rebounding in basketball, and the key to blocking opponents spikes in volleyball.

• 1. Plyometric training should be preceded by a good warmup of the intensively involved muscles.
• 2. One should aim to increase the speed and acceleration of movement before increasing the drop height or take off height.
• 3. Rest periods are crucial for the effective and safe use of plyometrics. The rest interval between sets of maximal plyometric exercises should be about 10 minutes for power development (strength?speed and speed strength) and much shorter intervals with sub-maximal plyometrics to develop explosive strength endurance.
• 4. In those cases where the plyometric method is used for developing jumping power (i.e. explosive strength and the reactive ability of the extensor of the torso and legs), one can work without an additional load and utilize only falling body mass for providing the impulsive stimulation.

For example, one may energetically jump upwards, or upward and forwards, after a depth jump from some height. The optimal depth of the jump is determined by the athlete's strength fitness, while the athlete should ensure that significant dynamic force is developed without slowing down transition from eccentric to concentric work by the muscles involved. One should land with legs slightly flexed, muscles mildly tensed and on the balls of the feet in order to avoid an excessive shock. The subsequent take off needs to be executed very quickly with an energetic throwing upwards of the arms. To stimulate a powerful take off it is necessary to strive with the hands or head to reach some height indicated by some marker if the take off is executed upward, or to land at some point if it is directed upward and forward. An increase in height or distance of the jump clearly indicates improvement in special fitness, which always has a positive effect on the athlete's emotional state.

Depth jumps for developing jumping power leads to the following:

• 1. Depth jumps require special preliminary preparation such as a significant volume of barbell exercises and traditional jumping, short sprints and skipping over a period of several months. One should begin at a relatively low height and increase it gradually to the optimal height. It makes sense to begin by jumping upward and forward only after sufficient training, to jump strictly upward. Good results are obtained with depth jumps using a complex of vertical jumps. Each exercise is executed in sets of 10 repetitions, with 115 minutes of rest between sets. Muscle or tendon fatigue, pain or soreness, as well as incompletely healed injuries, are contra indications to depth jumping.
• 2. The optimal dosage of depth jumps with an energetic vertical take?off in one training session should not exceed 4 sets of 10 jumps for well conditioned athletes and 23 sets of 58 jumps for lesser conditioned athletes. Easy running and relaxation exercises for a period of 10-15 minutes should be done between sets.
• 3. Depth jumps executed in the volume indicated should be done 2-3 times per week in training sessions devoted to special strength training. Besides including depth jumps, these sessions can include localized exercises for other muscle groups and general developmental exercises executed with a small volume.
• 4. Depth jumps strongly excite the nervous system. Therefore, they should be used not less than 3-4 days before a technique training session. Sessions devoted to general physical preparation with a small volume of work should be done after depth jump workouts.
• 5. Depth jumps occupy a fundamental place in the second half of the preparatory period of the yearly cycle. However, they can function as a means of maintaining the achieved level of special strength fitness in the competition period. During the competition period they should be included once every 10-14 days, but no later than 10 days before a competition.
• 6. A useful initial sub?maximal plyometric drill is hopping on the spot at a frequency which feels most comfortable for the athlete, using a few sets of about 25 repetitions. This enables the athlete to develop a sensitivity to timing, optimal depth of joint flexion and re bound coordination. These small vertical hops may then be replaced by small forward hops, backward hops, sideward hops, forward backward hops and zig zag hops. Next the athlete should try to execute the small vertical hops as rapidly as possible, again using a few sets of about 20 repetitions.
• 7. Skipping in different patterns, on one or both legs, with a rope can serve as a useful preparatory activity for depth jump plyometrics. It should be remembered that the aim is not to improve endurance, but speed and speed?strength, so that long periods of skipping are not the appropriate form of preparatory drill.
• 8. The optimal height of a depth jump does not result in a landing where the heel is forced to the ground by momentum.
• 9. Head posture and direction of gaze play important roles in controlling all aspects of depth jumping. Flexing the head downward to look at the floor before take off may result in spurious muscle contraction or altered timing. Similarly if the head is not thrust up wards during the take off, maximal height will not be reached.
• 10. Depth jumping necessitates falling in a relaxed state, but not jumping, off the box.
• 11. It is the quality of the plyometric exercises, not the quantity, which is important for developing explosive strength and reactive ability.
• 12. Inappropriate breathing patterns reduce the effectiveness of the exercises. In particular, the breath should be held and never released during the contact phase or any phase where maximal effort is to be produced. Exhalation during any landing phase reduces overall stability and increases the loading on the spine during depth jumping.
• 13. Before athletes attempt depth jumping, they must learn the techniques of normal jumping. It is important that they acquire competence in use of the correct lumbar pelvic rhythm, as is also used during clean pulls or power cleans from the ground. In this respect, these weightlifting maneuvers can be helpful in teaching efficient use of the knees, hips and spine.
• 14. Great caution must be exercised in performing any form of depth jumps which involve one legged thrusts, changes of direction or complex variations, since the injury risk is significantly higher. The skills of any such movements must be learned at progressively higher levels of complexity and intensity before maximal attempts are used.
• 15. The successful integration of depth jumps into a training program depends on not disrupting the delayed training effect of prior strength work. It should be noted that the use of depth jumps as a means of stimulation can delay this effect for 5-6 days.
• 16. It must be stressed that depth?jumping is not a basic type of training to be indulged in lightly by athletes who are relatively unused to explosive or strongly resisted movements. For anyone who is not accustomed to movements such as weightlifting cleans, jerks, squats or hurdling, it is highly advisable that a preparatory program using sub-maximal plyometrics, non?impact and non?plyometrics be followed before the above recommendations are implemented. A preparatory program may be based on a clear understanding of the nature of true plyometric methods, as follows:

** Because plyometric actions involve a powerful eccentric amortization phase terminating in an explosive isometric contraction, a primary requirement for anyone contemplating the use of classical plyometrics is a high level of eccentric strength and explosive isometric strength. Herein lies the value of squats, power cleans, power snatches and the descent of flights of stairs. Both front and back squats should be used, since they each model different types of jump (directly upwards versus forwards and upwards). Slow quasi-isometric squats over a moderate range with heavy weights should later lead to more rapid dips over a shallower range with lighter weights.

** Since plyometric actions involve a powerful concentric phase assisted by activation of the muscles by the stretch reflex, it is initially useful to improve jumping ability from a static start, without exposing oneself to the greater muscle-tendon stress of a dynamic start. Standing broad and vertical jumps, with regular attempts to increase the distance or height achieved without a preliminary dynamic dip, can be useful in this regard. The usual vertical jump test may be used as one of the exercises, progressing from a static flexed knee start to a dynamic dip start with arms flung vigorously upwards.