Part 4: How to Maximize
Your Jump Training Results
As a hockey strength and conditioning coach, my goal is simple:
Produce strong, fast, powerful, injury-resistant athletes in as little time as humanly possible.
Besides lifting weights and sprinting, our primary tool for building faster, more explosive guys is jump training.
I know that's far from a groundbreaking approach. Practically every hockey player looking for a boost in their skating uses some form of jump training in their off-ice workouts.
However, what I'm about to share with you throughout the rest of this article could be called GROUNDBREAKING INFORMATION. It's information that very few athletes or coaches are privy to.
Before I tell you HOW to arrange your jump training efforts for maximal results, I’ll explain the WHY behind it.
If you know why you're doing something, you can remember it better.
Let's start with science-based conclusions on optimal jump training methods and strategies for athletic performance.
Having read thousands of research papers on all things strength and conditioning, I know scouring through a bunch of scientific papers can cause your eyelids to droop faster than chugging a handful of sleeping pills.
Don't worry.
What follows is NOT an academic research paper capable of producing a powerful knockout effect akin to sparring a round in the ring with Mike Tyson.
I have condensed important findings from the scientific literature into this short recap below:
- Systematic jump training is a viable method for hockey players to increase explosive power which translates into improved acceleration, speed, and even skating endurance on the ice. [1, 2]
- Low to moderate training frequency (1-2x/week) generates bigger jump and speed gains than high-frequency training (4x/week). [3]
- Low-volume, high-intensity jumping leads to greater improvement in reactive ability than high-volume, low/medium-intensity work. [4]
- Jump training focusing on proper technique and body mechanics can help reduce the incidence of serious injuries - especially ACL injuries so prevalent in sports today. [5]
These findings make it clear that in order to maximize your results from jump training, it needs to fulfill the following four key requirements:
1. Quality: High
2. Intensity: High
3. Frequency: Low/moderate
4. Volume: Low/moderate
I know what you're thinking...
Yes, all that research is great.
But how can YOU apply these study findings in your own training for explosive speed gains - starting today?
That's the real question here.
And one you'll find the answer to next.
KEY TAKEWAYS
#1. Quality speed/power training is a highly neural activity.
#2. You don't need a ton of volume to make great progress.
Less is more.
#3. Athletes fail to maximize their results from jump workouts because they do too much low-quality work, too often.
References
[1] Lockwood, KL & Brophey, P. The Effect of a Plyometrics Program Intervention on Skating Speed in Junior Hockey Players. The Sport Journal. 2004; 7(3):184-201.
[2] Henriksson, T et al. Laboratory- and field-based testing as predictors of skating performance in competitive-level female ice hockey. Open Access Journal of Sports Medicine. 2016 Aug; 18(7):81-88.
[3] de Villarreal, ESS et al. Low and Moderate Plyometric Training Frequency Produces Greater Jumping and Sprinting Gains Compared with High Frequency. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2008 May; 22(3):715-725.
[4] Goss, Kim. The Forgotten Secret to Jumping Power. Retrieved from: http://www.biggerfasterstronger.com/uploads2/08_OctSep_JumpingPower.pdf. Accessed: June 21, 2018.
[5] Nessler, T et al. ACL Injury Prevention: What Does Research Tell Us? Current Reviews in Musculoskeletal Medicine. 2017 Sep; 10(3):281-288.