Plyometrics essentially trains athletes how to be quick on their feet. It teaches reactive skills such as shifting direction from running left to suddenly having to run to your right. It also works to increase vertical leap and how to jump higher by adding inches to your jump.
Trainers like Taylor Allan get asked a lot of questions about how to jump higher, as if there was a magic exercise that would add inches to a jump. While practice can help, it will never be enough unless you apply the science of vertical jump skills. And this includes plyometric training.
Often, the issues surrounding doubts about plyometric training is the fact that a person who goes through this type of training does not feel as tired compared to if he jogged 10 times around an oval, or played practice games for 2 hours. The truth is, plyometric training is not about working hard and long, but about being quick on your feet. It is not strength training although there are many cases when muscles are strengthened because of plyometric training.
Strength training tends to pull your muscles in extreme situation that can cause soreness and tears. This is why you ache after strength training. With plyometrics training, the goal is to repeat an action with the purpose of doing it better every time. Thus, you are not stretching your muscles in the same way, but more of conditioning it to get used to a specific movement.
With plyometrics training, you can target specific reactive skills. Basketball players may want to have running, shifting directions, and jumping skills as the main focus. Tennis players do not need to work on their jump since they won’t need it as much as being able to shift balance in seconds to reach the ball in time.
You can jump higher with plyometrics. In fact, it is through the right plyometric drills that you can achieve a higher jump. However, it is important that you have means of measuring your jump heights to assess your progress. There will come a time though that your jump will reach its peak. Expect this to happen with regular training. After this happens, you may enjoy minimal increases in your jump, so the aim would be to maintain your jump height rather than push yourself needlessly.
If you drop plyometrics because you do not see any changes in your vertical jump, it may not be because plyometrics failed you, but that you failed to do the drills properly. If you are just starting out, join a group with a professional trainer, or buy an ebook like the Truth About Quickness. It will help you establish the right plyometrics training, instead of groping in the dark. Also, with the right source, you can, without a doubt, expect results through an increase in your jump height.