Plyometric training for young athletes

Plyometrics refers to a training method predominantly consisting of jumping or rebounding tasks. These movements encompass an eccentric ‘stretching’ of the muscle, followed by a short transition period, before an explosive concentric ‘shortening’ of the same muscle, in an action known as the stretch-shortening cycle. Structural and neural factors develop naturally from childhood to adulthood, enabling a more effective neuromuscular regulation of the stretch-shortening cycle. However, research has demonstrated that youths of all ages can make further performance adaptations by following a well-structured and age-appropriate plyometric training programme. Exercise selection should be chosen based on technical competency of the young athlete, with youth of a low training age being exposed to a wide range of jumping and landing tasks, with a moderate volume of exercises. Once technical competency has improved, exercise intensity can be increased with a concomitant decrease in training volume, where the speed of movement is maintained to elicit the desired adaptations. Implementing two sessions a week of plyometric training will be adequate for children with a low training, but as technical competency increases, three to four sessions could be introduced within the week.