The SMU Locomotor Performance Lab is at the cutting edge of researching practical questions on sprinting and jumping. On this week’s GAINcast Emily McClelland joins us to discuss her latest research on vertical jumping and sex differences in short sprints.
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As strength coaches we focus a lot on exercise selection. But exercise execution is just as critical: perform the same exercise differently and you can train two entirely different physical qualities. On last month’s GAINcast with Professor Warren Young we got one great example: how you intrust an athlete to perform a drop jump can lead to drastically different execution.
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We often think of explosiveness as just one quality, but the fastest sprinter isn’t always the best bobsledder or long jumper. Explosiveness can be expressed in different ways. Olympic bobsledder Ben Simons is well known on social media for his jumping exploits. On this week’s episode he talks about optimizing your plyometric training, the demands of bobsled training, and much more.
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Jumping is one of the cornerstones of athleticism and plays a central role in the athletic development for early every sport. On this week’s episode we look at introducing jump training to athletes, our progressions, how to make jump training sport-specific, and testing protocols.
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Over the last several decades Professor Warren Young has been at the forefront of redefining how coaches test jumping ability, reactive strength, and agility. The tools he developed, such as the reactive strength index, have helped coaches better measure and train the physical abilities needed in their sport. He joins us on this week’s podcast to discuss his career, best practices for assessment, and how to bridge the gap from testing to training design.
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Vertical jump testing has become a staple of assess athletes. Decades ago the standard coach had to rely on the jump and reach test in order to testing jumping ability. Thanks to new technology and research, today coaches can now better analyze sport-specific jumping performance and more easily measure variables other than simple jump height. Jump height remains the most popular measure, but that is slowly changing as more technology enters the weight room. The advantages and disadvantages of different methods of vertical jump testing will be discussed below, with particular reference to the procedures required to obtain valid results. This is important because if the method you use is not valid or measuring accurately what it is intended to, your assessment will be of little value. Read more
