Jump Training For Beginners | Low Hurdle Progressions

Jumping and landing techniques are crucial to teach to younger and lesser experienced athletes that have never done any form of plyometric or jump training. In order to be able to correctly perform plyometrics the execution of jumping and landing must be mastered first.

The primary issue with landing is the inability to stabilize the legs via the hip musculature, and the feet via the lower leg musculature. The hip weakness can have a major impact on the functioning of the feet and ankles as well. The other area of concern with landing is the strength of the musculature around the pelvis and spine. The muscles must be strong enough to dissipate forces away from the pelvis and spine.

Without going into too much detail the major concern is that the knees are able to remain in line with the feet and not cave in (valgus) during landing and jumping. The other concern is the ability of the pelvis and spine to avoid extreme flexion or extension of the spine during landing.

Many plyometric activities require the athlete to rebound off the ground quickly using little bend of the knee and primarily force production from the lower leg. Examples of this form of quick jumping would be jump rope, line drills, and hop scotch type activities. But when more advanced jumping from higher heights are being introduced the athletes must learn to push the hips back and allow the shoulder to come forward during the landing. If the hips do not go back, during a jump that will require the knees to bend quite a bit due to the height of the jump, the knees will get pushed forward as the athlete goes way up on the balls of the feet. This technique puts large amounts of stress on the knee joint and soft tissues. Another potential injury that can occur from this knee forward approach is to the lower back. When the knees push forward the hips will follow and the lower back will hyper-extended in many cases to maintain balance and an upright position. If this is done aggressively there can be damage to the structure of the low back.

This is why it is a must that all athletes learn how to jump and more importantly how to land.

Here are some basic plyometric and jumping/landing exercises and progressions

In-place jump and hold

Low hurdle jump and rebound and hold

Low hurdle continuous jumps

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Plyometrics for Beginners

First formalized in the early 1960’s as a scientific training system by Dr. Yuri Verkhoshansky. The earliest published use of the term seems to be in a Soviet publication in 1966. Dr Verkhoshansky favored the term ‘shock method’ to distinguish between naturally occurring plyometric actions in sport and the training system he devised to develop speed-strength. Plyometric training has been demonstrated to improve jumping ability Such “bounce” training is widely utilized in strength programs designed to develop power or speed-strength.

Plyometrics are a form of explosive exercises that creates what called a Stretch Reflex in the muscle. The muscle goes from an eccentric action to a concentric action quickly. The nervous system is highly excitable during this action. The goal is to improve how quickly an athlete can apply force to the ground or another object and move either the body, as in sprinting or jumping, or a ball or implement, as in throwing or hitting. 

With youths and beginners, the variables of maturation and experience compound the problem of determining when and how to begin a plyometric training program. Even thought the actual purpose of plyometric training or shock training, as it is originally referred to, was initially intended to be done at higher intensities, it can and should be modified so that even the pre-adolescent athlete can participate in activities that require quick jumping. Examples of these would be jump rope, hop scotch, and Ladder drills. It is important to understand that the athlete must have a solid strength foundation in order to advance into more intense plyometrics. But even youngsters can participate in lower level plyometrics A maximum squat of 11⁄2-2 times body weight has been recommended by some Eastern Bloc authorities as a prerequisite for plyometric training. This goes along with traditional training patterns which normally follow the sequence of maximal force development preceding speed or plyometric training in the yearly cycle.

However, Eastern Bloc literature concerning youth strength training utilizes various forms of “bouncing” activities starting as young as 7-8 years. A squat of 11/2- 2 times a child’s body weight as a prerequisite for such training is highly questionable and was probably never intended for such a population. Maximum strength activities are not recommended for pre-pubescent or pubescent athletes, yet plyometric activities can be utilized throughout childhood. The key to all of this is proper training loads, dependent upon age and stage of biological development Even among mature athletes, a minimum strength level necessary to begin a plyometric program has been questioned. This is not to say that maximum strength training is not necessary, for it occupies a very important part of power development. Plyometric training should be taught using very basic drills and gradually progress to a more advanced level that is suited and needed for the particular athlete or group of athletes.

Prior to beginning any plyometric program the coach should instruct all athletes on the proper techniques of landing and jumping. Even though, during plyometric exercises there isn’t much time spent on the ground, Landing is the most important aspect of keeping the athletes safe. The following drills are all simple to learn and teach and allow athletes of any age athlete to learn coordination while improving upon the foundation of plyometric training.

Line Drills

Ladder Drills   

Low Box Drills 

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Summer Speed And Agility Training

Athletes must work on their bodies year-round so that they are ready to play at peak efficiency from the start of the season. Thus your best window to improve your speed, agility and quickness lies in the off season. Then when competitions starts, you aren't overloading your body with too many competing demands. Whether your goal is to improve at track, basketball, soccer, volleyball or any other sport, you can make your greatest gains during your open time in the off season.

The purpose of speed, agility, and quickness training is to execute maximal force while performing high-speed movements. SAQ training is an ideal supplement to your summer strength training program.

A common misconception is you have to be born with speed, agility and quickness or coordination. Anyone can train their body to improve their speed and reactions. With proper training, a slow athlete can become faster, a fast athlete can become even faster, and a good athlete can become great.

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Ladder Training For Speed And Agility

Agility is the skill of being nimble, being able to change direction quickly and respond decisively to a rapidly changing environment. According to the National Strength and Conditioning Association, the agility ladder helps improve neuromuscular coordination, or the relationship between the brain and muscle action. Some people are naturally more agile than others, but tailored exercise drills can improve reaction time and direction-changing speed, as well as strengthen muscles around knee and ankle joints to help protect against injury. The hopping and quick directional changes help prepare the ankles for unanticipated movements, such as tripping, so your body learns how to react to prevent injury.

Agility ladder training will increase speed, power, agility and coordination skills for better performance in any sport or in your personal workout. You can make ladder drills the main focus of your workout or perform them as part of a strength or cardio workout by weaving some of the ladder drills throughout your existing routine.

For each ladder drill, begin by learning the footwork pattern and then work at increasing the speed with which you put your feet down and get through the entire ladder. These drills help you increase the speed of your footwork.




Perform these agility ladder exercises either by alternating drills and repeating the entire routine several times or by focusing on one element during each workout--either speed, power or lateral motion. Whichever method you choose, you will see improvement in your performance by training with the agility ladder on a regular basis.

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6 Things You Must Have For A Successful Spring Training

As a strength coach, I am constantly looking for ways to improve my clients athletic ability or—more importantly— strength, speed, and mental. I want them to have a program that would make a difference. I want them to have both the mental AND the physical advantage going into a game.

Throughout my quest to achieve this goal, I have always been looking for programs that work. I’ve tried EVERYTHING. I bought about every book, dvd, attended every seminar I could find and talked to as many people as possible for ideas. Some of the programs allowed for some success while others have been an epic fail.


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The Next Level plan of attack includes the following:

Strength training – the foundation on which the plan of attack rests. We use barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, sleds and more with the idea to develop the greatest levels of strength possible.

Speed training - my thoughts on the significance of speed can be summed up in this quote from The Art of War, by Sun Tzu: “Speed is the essence of war.” Special sprint training will employ a variety of drills to maximize absolute speed.

Agility training – start, slow down, change directions, and accelerate with a minimum loss of speed. Agility drills require rapid changes of forward, backward, vertical, and side-to-side movement.

Flexibility training - one of the most important, yet misunderstood, areas of athletic development is range of motion, or flexibility... often mistaken as simply stretching.

Mental Toughness training – toughness is flexibility, responsiveness, strength, and resiliency under stress. Toughness training puts you in control of your performance level on and off the field.

Recovery Training – recovery must be planned, scheduled and “trained” just like any other element of your complete training plan of attack. Knowing how and when to recover may prove to be the most important skill in your life.

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