Lower Body Plyometric Drills for Collegiate Track Throwers

Plyometric drills can  improve the two key components for collegiate throwing athletes which are speed and power.  Plyometric exercises consist of eccentric and concentric muscle actions at a fast speed.2 Strength is important, but explosion is the key to success. Adding these simple drills can help your throwers improve their throwing events.  

•  Tuck Jump: 4x5-10 reps

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•   Depth Jump: 4x5-10 reps

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• Bounding: 4x5-10 reps on each leg (the goal is to get as much height as possible during while jumping on alternate legs)

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•  Box jumps: 4x5-10 reps

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• The athlete will jump off an 18-24 inch box, and explode to jump over a weight bench approximately 2 feet away.  While observing the athlete doing this we want to focus on the reaction time from when the athlete hits the ground to when they jump off of the ground again.1

Above are simple plyometric drills to help improve explosion.  Next week we will go over abdominal workouts to strengthen the core of throwers.

References:

1Ellis, M. (2011, August 23). Smart Plyometric Movements for Throwers. In Primal Athlete Training Center. Retrieved October 1, 2016, from http://www.primalatc.com/smart-plyometric-movements-for-throwers/

2Fowler, K. (2011). EXPLOSIVE POWER. IDEA Fitness Journal, 8(8), 38-45.