Jump Training vs. Plyometrics If you dig into Yuri Verkhoshansky’s...
Fred Duncan@Fred__Duncan
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Sep 26, 2025
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Jump Training vs. Plyometrics
If you dig into Yuri Verkhoshansky’s original work, he was very specific in how he framed the shock method, “sharp, compulsory muscular tension caused by the kinetic energy of a falling body.”
Over time, as the term spread to the West, the
If you dig into Yuri Verkhoshansky’s original work, he was very specific in how he framed the shock method, “sharp, compulsory muscular tension caused by the kinetic energy of a falling body.”
Over time, as the term spread to the West, the
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meaning got diluted. Suddenly every jump was being labeled “plyometric.” He wasn’t a big fan of that, because it lost the precision he intended.
Since then, people have argued endlessly…is it defined by ground contact time? Is it extensive vs. intensive? Is there even such a
Since then, people have argued endlessly…is it defined by ground contact time? Is it extensive vs. intensive? Is there even such a
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thing as extensive plyometrics? Is this just jump training?
At the end of the day, most of this is semantics. Athletes don’t care what label you use. What matters is whether you understand the qualities you’re developing and how you’re progressing them.
That’s the part
At the end of the day, most of this is semantics. Athletes don’t care what label you use. What matters is whether you understand the qualities you’re developing and how you’re progressing them.
That’s the part
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coaches sometimes lose sight of. Progression is still the foundation. Are you adding more height to a depth jump? Are you increasing the amplitude of a jump? Adding load to a broad jump? Extending a sequence from 3 contacts to 5? Or simply increasing total ground contacts from
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30 to 40? Those are all valid progressions.
Then you need to ask…what do you want from the exercise? Longer ground contacts or shorter? Horizontal emphasis or vertical? Lower intensity vs. higher intensity? Where does it fit in the return-to-sport process? Which jumps are
Then you need to ask…what do you want from the exercise? Longer ground contacts or shorter? Horizontal emphasis or vertical? Lower intensity vs. higher intensity? Where does it fit in the return-to-sport process? Which jumps are
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safe early, and which should wait until later? These are the questions that matter. The classification (extensive vs. intensive, or jump vs. plyometric) only helps if it makes you more precise in your programming.
That’s why in my programs and e-books, I focus on the
That’s why in my programs and e-books, I focus on the
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principles first. In Speed Kills, I break down everything related to developing speed…how to use plyometrics, weight training, and resisted sprinting together so you actually understand what drives performance.
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