Plyometrics for Cricket

BEN SCOTT: The former Middlesex wicketkeeper explains the importance of getting off the ground...

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Generating the force to get your body off the ground requires a lot of strength and speed! The force needed to stop your body from collapsing in to a pile of muscle tissue, skin and bones when you land on the floor is even more impressive.

Remember the fun you had as a kid, hopping, skipping, and jumping around the playground? Welcome to the world of plyometrics.

My first few years as a pro (before strength and conditioning became ‘a thing’) was a real eye-opener in terms of the intensity of professional sport. After the first few days in the field early on in the season I would be so stiff that I could hardly make my way back up the stairs of the Oval to the changing room. As it happens, wicketkeepers are plyometrics mules!

Training plyometrics for me was a way of meeting the demands of my position so I could play pain free, avoid injury and be more explosive as a result.

What is plyometrics?

Plyometrics ("plyo" for short) used to be called "jump training”. It's a technique that you can use in many different ways. Plyometrics can help train for football, basketball, volleyball, tennis, or any other activity that uses explosive movements exactly like the ones we find in cricket.

You'll do a series of jumps and hops, like jump squats or one-leg hops. You might jump up and onto a box or bench, or jump over cones. Some moves will be faster than others.

Every time you land from a jump, your muscles get a stretch. That gives your next jump even more power. The combination of stretching and contracting your muscles gradually develops its capabilities and performance.

You shouldn’t do plyometrics every day because your muscles and joints will need to recover from all that jumping. If you're not active now, you may need to start working on your basic fitness first and later have someone show you exactly how to do the moves, so you don't get injured.

It’s a fun alternative to an everyday strength-training workout that boosts your muscle power, strength, balance, and agility. You can either do a workout based around plyometrics, or add some plyo moves to your usual routine without giving it an entire session.

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