Up until now we’ve been talking about plyometrics done off two legs. The challenge is that while this is a great way to teach the fast application of force, it’s not always how we do things in sports. In sports there are a lot of times where we are doing things off one leg (think sprinting) or are levering off one side of the body (throwing, kicking). This means that there needs to be some emphasis on doing plyometrics off one leg.
Before we get to this, it needs to be emphasized that there is a strength base and a plyometric technique base that needs to be present before moving on to these exercises. Squatting around 1.5 times bodyweight is a good foundation for most athletes to be able to perform these exercises. Also being able to land with good technique is going to be important for injury prevention.
Single leg single effort jumps follow a similar progression to double leg jumps (vertical emphasis):
- Landing
- Squat jumps
- Vertical jumps
- Box jumps
- Depth jumps
Or (horizontal emphasis):
- Landing
- Squat long jump
- Standing long jump
- Standing long jump to a box
- Depth jump
Now, what’s different is that the jump is taking place off one leg. The athlete will lift up one foot and then perform the jump. However, the athlete needs to land on both legs. For example, with the squat jump, the athlete will pick up their left foot, move into a quarter squat, pause, jump off their right leg and then land on both.
It is important to train both legs!
