Plyometrics for off-ice training?

My coach is having me add plyometrics training to my weekly schedule of ballet, pilates/ yoga, power skating, and off ice. It was recommended by one of my coaches at rhe Summer of Exellence camp.

Has anyone else on this forum done plyometrics? Does anyone have an opinion as to this type of training?

I'm curious as to how it will effect my jumps on ice. I've been reading "Jumping Into Plyometrics" by Dr. Chou and it's pretty interesting!

Since no one has answered this, the Sport Fitnesss Advisor website has a large section on plyometrics:

http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/plyometric.html

Athletes from a wide range of sports use plyometric training to help them reach peak physical condition. Used correctly, it can be a highly effective form of power training, especially when combined with a suitable strength training program.

Unfortunately, there is little research to define the optimal guidelines for plyometric training. While many coaches use their experience to determine the quantity and intensity of sessions, several objective guidelines have been proposed by bodies such as the National Strength & Conditioning Association (1) and other experts in the field (2,3,4).

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One of the advantages for a skater appears to be:

http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/increaseverticaljump.html

How To Increase Vertical Jump
(By As Much As 12 Inches!)
With the right training techniques you can increase vertical jump performance significantly...

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http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=plyometrics+skating&search_type=&aq=f

Here are some youtube clips showing plyometrics workouts aimed at skaters.

Hi again, princess-ice *waves*. I hope your mom is better! I've done plyometrics for skating in the past. I've recently started doing them again for certain movements in trapeze. Plyometrics is great for muscle memory. It focuses on short, powerful contractions of the muscles so you can have more explosive muscular movement. For example, when you are jumping into a triple. Plyometrics have a lot to do with neurological responses, and it works on conditioning those. It can be very helpful.

That being said, I'm not sure how old you are, but if you are under 13, you should NOT do plyometrics. While the results can be very beneficial (I know they were for me, since I've gotten all of my triples except the axel in under a year), the risk of injury is pretty great. I know I hurt my knee with the single leg squats and was off the ice for about six weeks and can still feel pain every once in awhile. Just be careful with them.

If you don't feel comfortable with plyometrics, a good alternative I would recommend is intensive trampoline training. Not only is it fun, but it also really works that "explosive" muscular ability you want in your legs for jumping AND it teaches you to be VERY tight in the air. I actually started twice weekly trampoline lessons for trapeze, but the improvement I saw in my skating from it was amazing.

Good luck!

bethissoawesome said:

Hi again, princess-ice *waves*. I hope your mom is better!

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My mom has recovered physically from her surgery, but I can tell that she is still a bit fatigued at times. I've been trying to help out with small things here and there. Thanks for asking.

bethissoawesome said:

That being said, I'm not sure how old you are, but if you are under 13, you should NOT do plyometrics. While the results can be very beneficial (I know they were for me, since I've gotten all of my triples except the axel in under a year), the risk of injury is pretty great. I know I hurt my knee with the single leg squats and was off the ice for about six weeks and can still feel pain every once in awhile. Just be careful with them.

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I am proper age for a competitive USFS Juvenile skater. I only have plyometrics once a week for 30 minutes with a qualified instructor who stresses the importance of proper technique to prevent injury. I had my first training session last Saturday morning.

There is a trainer who comes to the Toyota Sports Center a few times a week to work with Bebe Liang and another elite skater. He works with them together. I say it looks like a good work out and athough have not tried it myslef, a great compliment to skating!

princess-ice said:

My mom has recovered physically from her surgery, but I can tell that she is still a bit fatigued at times. I've been trying to help out with small things here and there. Thanks for asking.



I am proper age for a competitive USFS Juvenile skater. I only have plyometrics once a week for 30 minutes with a qualified instructor who stresses the importance of proper technique to prevent injury. I had my first training session last Saturday morning.

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That's good. A good instructor makes all the difference in the world. I'm one to push myself to the limits, and at one point, I was doing plyometrics nearly every day, and eventually my body just gave out and my knee took a beating. I was so scared I would have to be off the ice longer than I was, but even being off it for a few weeks can be so frustrating and crushing. I guess that is the one big thing I've learned, you really do have to listen to your body, and when it's saying "enough!!!", you have to stop and reassess before you get yourself into a situation where an injury can count you out for good. Maybe someday we will see eachother in competition

bethissoawesome said:

A good instructor makes all the difference in the world.

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My plyometrics instructor is Jenifer "All American" Alcorn. She is really disciplined and does a really hard work-out, but she is really big on not hurting your body.

yes, take precaution with plyo's as they can be pretty intense.

Plyometric advice

Plyometrics are essential for a figure skater to increase jump height and power. If done incorrectly though, a skater could get hurt. It is important to follow a proper progression of plyometric exercises to avoid injury. At www.sk8strong.com we have a plyometric progression download that will teach you a safe and effective way to do plyometrics.