Plyometrics:

Everyone is familiar with exercise and its powerful benefits, such as prolonging health and well being. But the term that most people are not familiar with is plyometrics. What is the meaning of plyometric exercising?

The purpose of plyometric exercising is to enhance an individual's stamina, agility, and efficient coordination performance. This is the most common type of exercising among athletes. One of the requirements of plyometrics is high-intensity training, which includes very strong contractions of the muscles. The muscles involve the stretch reflex, or the stretching of muscles before the contraction with greater force. Bouncing movements are one of the most common types of plyometrics exercising. In general, it boosts speed and at the same time building strength and power.

There are several opinions by experts about plyometrics concerning the safety of plyometrics exercising. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, it claims "that plyometric training is a safe, beneficial and fun activity for children and adolescents provided that the program is properly designed and supervised." If individuals do not conduct these exercises correctly, then there is a greater injury risk. One of the precautions that comes with plyometrics is that anyone who is involved with sports is to use them as little as possible and the correct training.

Plyometrics is a technique that should be a safe program with effectiveness. Athletes are supposed to land on his/her toes and roll on the heels in a smooth manner. When the entire foot and/or a greater surface area is used, it assists in relieving the heavy impact on the joints. The essential part for individuals to land safely is to keep from doing any type of twisting or sideways motions at the knee.

The following are tips for having a safe plyometrics program:

1. This program is suggested for individuals and athletes who are in good physical health.
2. One of the criteria that individuals should have is high level of leg strength just before conducting any plyometric exercises.
3. Have a complete warm up session prior to beginning plyometrics.
4. When beginning the plyometrics program, begin with small jumps and increase them gradually.
5. When individuals start feeling any pain in the joints, please feel free to stop immediately.
6. Wear shoes that are very comfortable and full of cushion.
7. If an individual decides to do any plyometric exercises, then it is suggested that he/she should do so on soft and/or cushioned areas.

Gaining strength and power can be beneficial without using the plyometrics programs, but if individuals make the decision to use it, then he/she should perform it in a proper manner. If people are participants in sports, such as sprinting, then this type of training is a blessing for performance and skill improvement.

Source:

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/conditioning/a/aa062701a.htm