Plyometrics & Depth Jumps: Pure Goalkeeping Power
The other day I was surfing around some of my favorite internet marketing type web sites (yes, I don't just live and breathe soccer you know), and stumbled across an article over at John Chow. Funnily enough I saw a site review (John does tonnes of these) for Speedendurance.com which is run by Jimson Lee whom is a competitive Masters Athlete, coach (mostly track and field) and president for an athletic club in Vancouver, Canada. (UPDATE: Ok, It was not a site review, thanks Jimson!)
I've always alluded to the fact that to be a top class goalkeeper you must think outside of the square (obviously further than your 18 yard box). Looking at other athletic fields, and the specific movements that top level athletes in other sporting fields adhere to, can give your own goalkeeping performance a massive boost. One extremely important facet (and one which we cover extensively in The G-Code) of your training, are plyometrics.
Plyometrics is basically a fancy name for any activity that specifically enhances muscular power (more importantly neuromuscular power). If you can enhance and increase your muscular power, then you can guarantee to generate top class goalkeeping performance in every facet of your game, be it jumping to catch the ball in mid flight, or diving to attack the ball with a shot on goals.
Following are some awesome tips from Jimson Lee, that you can utilize to maximize your own goalkeeping performance:
Plyometrics and Depth Jumps
Introduction
The importance of plyometrics cannot be more emphasized.
Plyometrics refers to exercises that enables a muscle to reach maximum force in the shortest possible time. The muscle is loaded with an eccentric (lengthening) action, followed immediately by a concentric (shortening) action. This action is often confused with the stretch reflex reaction.
In short, Plyometrics bridges the gap between strength and speed.
Plyometrics training can benefit several sports: horizontal jumpers in Athletics (high, long, triple), volleyball players, football, basketball and soccer goalkeepers, just to name a few. For goalkeepers, the extra few inches you gain from your jump can make the difference between a goal and no goal!
This handy checklist gives a high level overview on Plyometrics and particularly Depth Jumps.
General & Preparation
1. Count the number of foot contacts per session, and perform the exercises on a grass surface to minimize wear and tear on the legs.
2. Wait until all the injuries are healed before beginning a plyometric program.
3. Introduce Olympic weight lifting first, especially power cleans from the ground. It is important that they acquire proper proprioception and co-ordination with the correct lumbar-pelvic rhythm, especially the knees, lower back and hips.
4. Start with depth jumps from the ground, then exploding upwards. If a sand pit is available, try the standing long jump, which is a common test for children to test for power, explosiveness and elasticity. The current world record is 12 feet 4 inches by a shot putter, not a sprinter of jumper.
Volume:
7. Depth jumps uses the central nervous system heavily. Therefore, they should be used not less than 3-4 days before a technique session. You can do some light strength work after a plyo session.
8. In general, you can do plyometrics 2 or 3 times a week, preferable at the end of practice. If you have a split session, make sure you have a few hours before each session.
9. A general guideline for each exercise is executed in sets of 10 repetitions, with 1-5 minutes of rest between sets
10. The optimal dosage of depth jumps with an intense vertical or horizontal take-off in one training session should not exceed 4 sets of 10 jumps for well conditioned athletes and 2-3 sets of 5-8 jumps for lesser-conditioned athletes. Easy running and relaxation exercises for a period of 10-15 minutes should be done between sets
11. During the competition period they should be included once every 10-14 days, but no later than 10 days before a competition.
Technique:
12. You should land on the balls of your feet, as the heel should not slam to the ground by momentum. This indicates the force (or the height of the box) is too great.
13. Head posture and your "line of sight" direction play important roles in controlling all aspects of depth jumping. Pointing your head downward to look at the ground before take-off may result in an untimed muscle contraction or misaligned timing. Also, if the head is not thrust upwards during the take-off, maximal height will not be reached. Treat your body as a whole, and not just your legs to do the the work.
14. When doing depth jumping off boxes, remember to be relaxed when stepping off the box, not jumping off the box.
15. Unlike weight lifting where you exhale on the concentric contraction (the force), your breath should be held and never released during the contact phase or landing phases where maximal effort is produced.
I hope these guidelines will get you started on plyometrics. Of course, the volume should be tailored to each individual athlete.
About the Author
Jimson Lee is a coach and founder of http://Speedendurance.com , a site dedicated to Coaching, Training, and free Videos.
Order your copy of Keeper Skool's The G-Code today! Maximize goalkeeper fitness & diet. Click Here .
John Stevanja
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