Acta Universitatis Palackianae Olomucensis. Gymnica (Dec 2013)
The effects of a 6 week plyometric training programme on explosive strength and agility in professional basketball players
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Explosive strength of the lower extremities and agility are important parts of game performance in basketball. Although numerous studies have focused on the assessment of the training effect of plyometric training, studies focusing on elite players are missing. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to find out what changes in explosive strength of the lower extremities take place after a 6 week plyometric training applied in training units during the pre-season in elite basketball players. METHODS: Elite basketball players (N = 12, age 24.36 ± 3.9 years, height 196.2 ± 9.6 cm, weight 92.9 ± 13.9 kg) performed a 6 week plyometric training (PT) programme predominantly focused on explosive strength of the lower body and upper body and was conducted in sixteen training units during pre-season. The changes in explosive strength were measured by the Counter Movement Jump Free Arms test and Two Step Run Up Jump test; agility was measured using the “T” Drill test and Hexagonal Obstacle test. The players participated in three measurements. The 1st (pretesting) was performed on the first day of pre-season, the 2nd (post-testing) was done two days after completing the PT programme and the 3rd (post-testing) six weeks after completing the PT programme. Friedman’s ANOVA for repeated measurements was used to determine the significance of differences between the measurement sessions (p < .05). RESULTS: A significant effect of the training programme was observed only for the Hexagonal Obstacle test (p = .01). A post hoc analysis revealed a significant increase in test performance between the 1st and 3rd measurement (p < .01) and between the 2nd and 3rd measurement (p < .01). CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study of elite basketball players did not positively support the assumption that plyometric exercises can be an effective tool for the improvement of explosive strength and agility. However, in some players the improvements corresponded to average improvements after training programmes presented in literature.
