What Are Plyometrics? Why Explosive Training Matters for Athletes

When people hear the words plyometrics or plyometric training, they may immediately think of box jumps, jump squats, or intense athletic workouts. But plyometrics are much more than simply jumping.

Plyometric exercises train the body to produce and absorb force quickly. They teach your muscles and nervous system to transition rapidly from a lengthening action into a powerful movement. This ability to create force quickly, often called power, is important for athletes in almost every sport.

For dancers, gymnasts, cheerleaders, figure skaters, martial artists, fencers, and synchronized swimmers, explosive movement is a major part of performance. However, the type and intensity of plyometric training should be matched to the athlete, their sport, their training experience, and their current physical capacity.

At Performance Health & Rehab, we use performance training to help athletes develop these qualities in ways that are relevant to the movements they actually perform.

So, What Exactly Are Plyometrics?

Plyometrics involve a rapid transition between a muscle being lengthened and then producing force. Think about a jump. Before you leave the ground, your body quickly bends at the hips, knees, and ankles. Your muscles load as you lower into the movement, and then they rapidly produce force to propel you upward.

That quick transition is an important part of the stretch-shortening cycle. Plyometric training teaches your body to make that transition efficiently.

Examples include:

• Jumping and hopping

• Bounding

• Skipping variations

• Drop jumps

• Jump squats

• Lateral hops

• Medicine ball throws

• Explosive push-ups

Not every plyometric exercise needs to be maximal or extremely difficult. A simple pogo jump can be a plyometric exercise, while more advanced athletes may progress to depth jumps or sport-specific explosive movements.

Strength and Power Are Not the Same Thing

This distinction is particularly important for athletes. Strength is your ability to produce force. Power is your ability to produce that force quickly. An athlete might be very strong but still need to develop the ability to express that strength rapidly.

For example, a dancer may have strong legs but struggle to get the height they want in a grand jeté. A gymnast may have good lower-body strength but need more explosive power for vault. A figure skater may be strong enough to control a landing but need greater explosiveness to generate height during a jump. Strength training provides the foundation. Plyometrics teach the athlete how to use that strength quickly.

Why Do Athletes Need Plyometrics?

Most sports don't happen slowly. Athletes need to react, accelerate, jump, land, change direction, and produce force in fractions of a second. Plyometric training can help develop:

Explosive power

The ability to produce force quickly can contribute to higher jumps, faster takeoffs, and more powerful movements.

Reactive ability

Athletes need to respond quickly when their body interacts with the floor, apparatus, opponent, or equipment.

Landing and force absorption

Plyometrics aren't only about getting off the ground. Athletes also need to learn how to absorb and control force when they land.

Coordination

Explosive movements require multiple joints and muscle groups to work together efficiently.

Sport-specific performance

When appropriately selected, plyometric exercises can help develop physical qualities that transfer to the demands of an athlete's sport.

Plyometrics for Dancers

Dance is filled with explosive movements. Jumps, leaps, changements, assemblés, turns with takeoff, and traveling movements all require dancers to produce and control force quickly. Instead of simply practicing the same jump repeatedly, dancers can use plyometric training to specifically develop the power behind their jumps.

Examples might include:

• Pogo jumps for ankle reactivity

• Squat jumps for lower-body power

• Skater jumps for lateral power

• Single-leg hops for stability and control

• Bounding for traveling power

• Repeated jumps to develop muscular endurance

For dancers, plyometrics should complement, not replace, technique training. A dancer still needs to practice the actual movement, but developing the physical capacity behind it can help make that movement more powerful and efficient.

Plyometrics for Gymnasts

Gymnastics requires athletes to repeatedly create and absorb force. Vault, tumbling, floor passes, leaps, and dismounts all require explosive power, while landings require the ability to control that force.

Plyometric training for gymnasts might include:

• Hurdle hops

• Broad jumps

• Tuck jumps

• Single-leg hops

• Lateral bounds

• Repeated vertical jumps

• Medicine ball throws

Training can also be adapted to the gymnast's specific needs. A gymnast working on vault may benefit from exercises emphasizing horizontal and vertical power, while another athlete may need greater single-leg control for beam or floor.

Plyometrics for Cheerleaders

Cheerleading requires explosive jumping, tumbling, stunting, and landing. Jump sequences require repeated force production, while tumbling requires athletes to rapidly produce and redirect force.

Plyometric training can help cheerleaders develop:

• Jump height

• Explosive takeoff

• Landing control

• Reactive strength

• Lateral power

• Single-leg stability

Examples could include tuck jumps, lateral bounds, pogo jumps, broad jumps, and controlled single-leg hops. For bases and other athletes involved in stunting, plyometric and power training can also be incorporated alongside strength training to develop the ability to produce force quickly.

Plyometrics for Figure Skaters

Figure skating might not immediately come to mind when you hear "plyometrics," but explosive power is incredibly important on the ice. Skaters need power for jumps while also having exceptional control when landing on a single blade.

Off-ice plyometric training can include:

• Single-leg hops

• Lateral bounds

• Broad jumps

• Vertical jumps

• Skater jumps

• Reactive jumping drills

These exercises can help develop the ability to produce force, absorb force, and control the body during single-leg movements, all qualities that can transfer to the demands of skating.

Plyometrics for Martial Artists

Martial arts require athletes to generate force quickly while constantly changing positions. Kicks, punches, jumps, pivots, and rapid changes of direction all require explosive movement.

Depending on the discipline, plyometric training might include:

• Lateral bounds

• Split-stance jumps

• Rotational medicine ball throws

• Broad jumps

• Skater hops

• Explosive push-ups

Rotational and lateral power can be particularly useful for athletes whose sport requires rapid changes in direction or powerful rotational movements.

Plyometrics for Fencers

Fencing is incredibly reactive. Athletes need to accelerate, decelerate, lunge, recover, and change direction quickly while maintaining control and precision. Plyometric exercises can help develop the explosive qualities required for these movements.

Examples include:

• Lateral bounds

• Split jumps

• Single-leg hops

• Skater jumps

• Forward and backward bounds

• Reactive change-of-direction drills

The emphasis isn't simply on jumping as high as possible. For a fencer, the ability to produce force quickly in the right direction may be more relevant.

Plyometrics for Synchronized Swimmers

Plyometrics may look very different for a synchronized swimmer because their sport takes place in the water. However, off-water training can still help develop qualities such as explosive power, coordination, and body control.

Depending on the athlete's needs, training might include:

• Squat jumps

• Broad jumps

• Medicine ball throws

• Low-level hops

• Explosive upper-body movements

• Core-focused power exercises

The goal isn't to make a synchronized swimmer train like a basketball player. It's to develop the physical qualities that support the movements and demands of their specific sport.

Plyometrics Should Be Progressed, Not Rushed

Plyometrics are powerful tools, but they aren't appropriate to throw into every athlete's program without consideration. Before progressing to high-intensity jumping or landing exercises, an athlete should have an appropriate foundation of strength, mobility, coordination, and movement control.

Plyometric training can progress from:

Low intensity → higher intensity

Two legs → single leg

Predictable movements → reactive movements

Slower movements → faster movements

Basic exercises → sport-specific movements

For example, an athlete might begin with controlled pogo jumps before progressing to single-leg hops and eventually more complex reactive or sport-specific drills.

The goal is not to make every workout harder. The goal is to give the athlete the right challenge for where they are now.

How Performance Health & Rehab Uses Plyometrics

At Performance Health & Rehab, we don't believe athletes should be given the same plyometric program simply because they participate in the same sport.

An athlete's age, experience, strength, injury history, goals, training schedule, and current physical abilities all matter.

Our Performance Training Sessions allow us to individualize training around the athlete and their sport. We can identify whether an athlete needs more strength before progressing to higher-level plyometrics, whether they need to improve landing control, or whether they're ready to begin developing more advanced power and reactive ability.

For an athlete returning from injury, plyometrics can also become an important part of the progression back to sport. Rather than going from rehabilitation exercises directly back into full-intensity jumping, cutting, tumbling, or other explosive skills, we can gradually rebuild the body's ability to produce and absorb force.

The Bigger Picture

Plyometrics aren't just about jumping higher. They're about teaching your body to produce force, absorb force, react quickly, and control movement efficiently. For dancers, gymnasts, cheerleaders, figure skaters, martial artists, fencers, synchronized swimmers, and other athletes, these qualities can play an important role in performance.

The key is making plyometric training specific to you. At Performance Health & Rehab, our Performance Training Sessions combine strength, mobility, stability, power, and sport-specific movement to help athletes build the physical qualities their sport demands. Whether you're looking to jump higher, improve your tumbling, become more explosive, develop better landing control, or simply become a stronger athlete, your program can be designed around your individual goals.

Your sport teaches you the skill. We help you build the physical capacity to perform it.