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JUMP SMART FOAM PLYO BOX SET: A USEABLE ADDITION
By Dr. Ken E. Leistner
The debate has raged and continues through almost two decades regarding the benefits of plyometric exercise. On one side of the divide are those who believe that one’s neurological firing ability is a congenital or genetically controlled factor, subject to minor degrees of improvement. Any improvement would come from practice of the specific jumping or plyometric skill movements, just as practice would improve, to a certain extent, any sports related skill that is repetitively done over and over. Improvement can also come from the practiced improvement that comes with the ability to respond faster to visual and/or auditory cues. Enhanced strength would obviously contribute to the improvement in performance of any movement skill, other factors remaining equal. However, the belief remains that the degree of improvement will be limited and largely pre-determined by one’s physiological/neurological “make-up.”
The other school of belief is just as convinced that skills related to speed of movement and the change in kinesthetic position can be improved through practice because motor units can in fact be “taught” or “conditioned” to fire faster and more efficiently. This would come as a result of practice of specific movements, done quickly and explosively. The belief is further applied to the athletic arena with the application of improved explosive movement skill, as it is used in specific sports related movement such as moving out of one’s three or four-point football stance and/or going up higher for a rebound on the hardwood court. What both sides of the debate often forget is that many jumping and movement pattern activities are beneficial as conditioning and strengthening procedures.
In the mid to late-1980’s the Plyometric Exercise “movement” gained impetus as many track and field coaches had athletes jumping up and down onto and from high wooden boxes, school bleachers, or other elevated structures that were available to them and their athletes. The explanation of the potential benefits of the activities included physiological or scientific jargon that extolled “elastic stretch,” “reflexive attenuation,” and a slew of other terms meant to indicate that one could both train and take advantage of a stretch reflex that could then be applied to other running and jumping skills in a variety of sports. As early as 1963, famed strength coach Alvin Roy of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, considered to be the first strength coach in the NFL though he was more accurately a part-time consultant to the San Diego Chargers, had those Chargers jumping and hopping the width of the football field. One and two-legged hops, for height and distance were done as part of the pre-season program that Alvin taught at his Oklahoma Avenue facility to the pros and the collegiate programs like LSU, Ole Miss, and others that he provided strength and conditioning programs for. One of Alvin’s oft-told stories involved All Pro San Diego halfback Keith Lincoln, a 220 pound chunk of solid muscle and speed who was a devotee of Alvin’s methods. As Lincoln said, after a session of hops for distance, “Alvin, I don’t mind lifting all of those weights, I don’t mind running distance, and I don’t mind sprinting until I puke but I draw the line with this hopping. Did you notice, I’m not a bunny rabbit!”
When I traveled to Baton Rouge and trained with a number of LSU and pro players that included Sugar Bowl MVP Glenn Smith, Tommy “Trigger” Allen, Eddie Ray, and the Oilers’ George Rice, lifting sessions were followed by sprints and hopping on one and two legs across the LSU stadium field. In a program Alvin personally wrote for me to use at home, he included jumping over a standard York Olympic bench, both front to back, back to front, and side to side. The on-field hopping followed sprint work twice per week. In numerous conversations and exchanges of letters, not once did Alvin mention any of what came to be the basis of plyometric activity, the development of explosiveness relative to these jumping and hopping activities, nor the direct benefits as it would apply to on-the-field skills. He did however talk extensively about the conditioning benefits of all of the activities and felt that my overall on-the-field strength would improve if I was more adept at “handling my bodyweight” more efficiently, thus his recommendation for these exercises.
No matter what the goal is however, or one’s philosophy of training, jumping activities can be of value. Most coaches have come to understand that depth jumps are potentially dangerous for many athletes, especially larger ones and that there is little sense in “dive-bombing” from a four foot box while holding 50 pound dumbbells in each hand. One of the detriments to jumping up on an elevated surface, especially for high school athletes is a very real fear factor. They are afraid of missing the top of the box surface or “over jumping” and falling off of the far end of the box surface in an uncontrolled manner. There is a fear of banging one’s knees or shins upon mounting the box surface or if part of a bounding and movement drill, mistiming their leap or jump and slamming into the elevated box or boxes, risking injury to the face or torso. The Jump Smart Plyo Boxes are a very innovative and intelligent response to these very real problems. The stackable set of high density foam allows 300 pounders to safely land without the fear of “wrecking” the boxes, knocking the stacked boxes over, or slamming knees, shins, or their skin into a hard, unforgiving surface. The confidence factor is elevated so that each drill and each individual jump onto the elevated surface can be done at full force and without hesitation. The “give” that the high density foam provides makes for a forgiving and absorbent landing surface that allows the largest of athletes to safely jump and have the resultant forces transferred from their joints to the landing surface.
The variety in jumping and leaping activities is almost limitless with application to many aspects of conditioning. Jumping up to various heights without fear of injury is a key for maximizing the effectiveness of the drills and the “rebound” that the slightly giving surface of the foam allows for makes for a comfortable landing that is safer than that to a hard surfaced box. Repetitive jumps are not a problem as the non-skid base of the Jump Start Plyo Boxes keeps the pads in a stable position. Wooden boxes often will skid out of place if a jump is missed, especially by a large athlete, causing interruption in the drill. This is obviated by the Jump Start System, both by the non-skid base and the Velcro attachments that keep a stack of the various sized pieces in place. The unique surface also allows for a very effective series of drills and exercises when used in conjunction with a Super Heavy Med Ball. Using variations in bouncing the ball from the surface and having the athlete jump to catch it and/or bound up or down while retrieving the ball is an enjoyable yet challenging exercise that involves conditioning and timing. The many jumping drills that can be used for conditioning purposes, or, if one is a proponent of explosively leaping, can only be made more efficient and safer with the Jump Smart Plyo System. Using the different pads for punch drills, box squats, or as Lou Simmons and his world champion lifters to, for a bench press assist station, provides more application that makes the Jump Smart Plyo pads a valuable addition to any facility.
