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This article will teach you what the benefits of plyometric training is as far as improving your speed and agility goes. Article breakdown time: what plyometric training really is, the overall benefits it can deliver and what role in can play when correctly introduced alongside classic speed and agility training.

So what are plyometrics anyway?
Plyometrics are simply a type of exercises whose purpose it is to link strength with speed of movement in order to create a lot of power.The theory goes like this: if you use the same strength, faster, the power will improve. If you use more strength, faster, the power will be geometrically higher.In basketball for example plyometrics are used to increase an athletes running vertical jump.
To achieve results plyometric focuses on:
– harnessing your bodies ability to absorb and store force;- releasing that force quickly (resulting in spetacular power output);

Plyometrics can be implemented in any sport that involves one or more of these actions: kicking, lifting, jumping or throwing. Here are some examples: baseball, football, basketball, soccer, power lifting, disk throwing.

Purpose of plyometrics as part of a speed and agility training program
The effect of plyometrics is twofold: it not only strengthens your joints, tendons and muscles, but it also trains your nervous system to react more efficiently. This crosses over into improvements in speed and agility — gains are improved in individuals who already have good muscular development.

The short term gains in speed and agility that result from incorporating plyometric exercises come from the education of your nervous system. Because of this pay special attention to these guidelines:
* only perform when rested
you must train with intensity and presence
train harder not longer (no more than 20 reps REGARDLESS of exercise used)* keep the set number low (no more than 3 sets regarding the exercise)

Drill this into your head: Train HARDER, not looonger.

Gains in the long term will rely on body composition — this is why a focus on nutrition and avoidance of injury are critical with regards to plyometrics. Plyometric training will change the structure of your muscles and tendons.Plyometrics change your body in the sense that they make your muscles and tendons take on elastic properties.
Nuts and Bolts of a Plyometric Movement:

* first the body absorbs and stabilizes the force from a negative (eccentric) contraction
* as it does this, it  loads up your muscles and tendons with force (think of it like a compressing a spring)
* the spring unloads and the body (for legs) or an object (for arms) is propelled with astounding speed

Here’s an example,when you cock back your arm to throw a rock the natural thing you do is to first cock your arm backwards.  The effect of this is that the muscles of your arm and shoulder muscles lock, forcing your tendons to stretch thus storing a lot of force in those tendons and essentially turning them into loaded springs. When you throw, the stored force is released, allowing the rock to be accelerated at a rate which is higher than your normal rate of force development.

The reason plyometric training was so big when it came out in the 70 ’s is that it allowed athletes to specifically train their muscles and tendons to be more spring-like. You naturally use plyometric movements but before plyometric training came out there was no clear cut way to train for this. That is why it was thought for so long that jumping for height for example was an innate ability.
To summarize, plyometrics kill two birds with one stone: they teach your nervous system how to correctly perform movements at higher speeds and they condition your tendons, ligaments and muscles to aquire more spring-like characteristics allowing for greater acceleration. These benefits directly translate into gains in general speed and agility.To further support this process you should also learn about:speed,agility and strength
The question is: how do I adapt the principles of plyometric training to my speed and agility training? The answer is, and you aren’t going to like it, by tailoring your plyometric training to the specific speed and agility requirements of the sport that you are practicing. This is a long discussion and goes way beyond the scope of this article. For more high quality information visit: Speed and Agility

This article has discussed:

* what plyometrics are
* how plyometrics work
* the role of plyometrics as part of your speed and agility training
* the benefits you can expect when introducing plyometric drills into yours speed and agility training

You HAVE to check out this unbelievable exercise for speed and agility training improving coordination