Effects of Plyometric Training on Physical Fitness in Team Sport Athletes: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Plyometric training (PT) is a very popular form of physical conditioning of healthy individuals that has been extensively studied over the last decades. In this article, we critically review the available literature related to PT and its effects on physical fitness in team sport athletes. We also considered studies that combined PT with other popular training modalities (e.g. strength/sprint training). Generally, short-term PT (i.e. 2-3 sessions a week for 4-16 weeks) improves jump height, sprint and agility performances in team sport players. Literature shows that short PT (<8 weeks) has the potential to enhance a wide range of athletic performance (i.e. jumping, sprinting and agility) in children and young adult amateur players. Nevertheless, 6 to 7 weeks training appears to be too short to improve physical performance in elite male players. Available evidence suggests that short-term PT on non-rigid surfaces (i.e. aquatic, grass or sand-based PT) could elicit similar increases in jumping, sprinting and agility performances as traditional PT. Furthermore, the combination of various plyometric exercises and the bilateral and unilateral jumps could improve these performances more than the use of single plyometric drills or traditional PT. Thus, the present review shows a greater effect of PT alone on jump and sprint (30 m sprint performance only) performances than the combination of PT with sprint/strength training. Although many issues related to PT remain to be resolved, the results presented in this review allow recommending the use of well-designed and sport-specific PT as a safe and effective training modality for improving jumping and sprint performance as well as agility in team sport athletes.

Effects of plyometric training on jumping, sprint performance, and lower body muscle strength in healthy adults: A systematic review and meta‐analyses

“…Markovic showed moderate‐to‐high effects of PLY on four different vertical jump tests, while Stojanovic showed moderate effects on CMJ in amateur, collegiate, and elite female athletes. Similar results were shown in youth soccer athletes and young team‐sport athletes …”

“…Existing literature reviews, evaluating PLY interventions, have reported that PLY can improve vertical jump height and sprint performance . Furthermore, studies report improved neuromuscular function as well as more specific neural adaptations such as increased motor unit activation . PLY has also been implemented effectively in the rehabilitation of injured athletes, where the primary focus is on lower body control and correct mechanics with progression toward high‐intensity plyometric exercises to resolve postinjury neuromuscular impairments and prepare the musculoskeletal system for rapid movements and high forces similar to the demands imposed in sports .…”

“…One limitation of the existing reviews summarizing the effects of PLY is that they do not include the large number of original studies that have been published recently . Some recent reviews have been published, but these investigated non‐performance outcomes such as bone health, bone mineral density, or the age‐related variation in the effects of PLY . Others have investigated the effects of PLY on performance of only single outcomes and/or have been devoted to specific subgroups.…”

“…Others have investigated the effects of PLY on performance of only single outcomes and/or have been devoted to specific subgroups. Moreover, the focus of these reviews included upper body physical performance, change of direction ability, jumping performance in young female athletes, and athletic performance in youth soccer players and in team‐sport athletes . Most of these reviews included children and adolescents in their analyses, while some also included non‐controlled studies limiting the overall methodological quality …”

“…6 Furthermore, studies report improved neuromuscular function 2 as well as more specific neural adaptations such as increased motor unit activation. 7 PLY has also been implemented effectively in the rehabilitation of injured athletes, where the primary focus is on lower body control and correct mechanics with progression toward high-intensity plyometric exercises to resolve postinjury neuromuscular impairments and prepare the musculoskeletal system for rapid movements and high forces similar to the demands imposed in sports. 1,8 Finally, PLY can successfully be included in injury-preventive protocols to reduce the risk of lower extremity injuries, by improving landing mechanics and joint loadings.…”