Effects Of Plyometric Training On The Performance Of Power And Speed In Children

Plyometric training is effective in increasing speed and power. However, most studies were only aimed at adult subjects due to the fact that rapid contraction of muscles makes beginners, especially children, prone to injury. This study was aimed at children who never underwent sports training in hope to understand if plyometric training would be suitable for children. PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of plyometric training on the power and speed both in boys and girls. METHODS: 30 boys (aged 11.41 ± 0.29 yrs) and 30 girls (aged 11.45 ± 0.27 yrs) were assigned (by S shape) to an experimental group and a control group with 15 boys and 15 girls in each group according to the pre-test on vertical jump. Experimental group received plyometric training with gradual increasing intensity of jumping over 25 cm high rubber bands with various foot works for 50 minutes, 3 times per week for 12 weeks while control group received only the school PE curriculum. All subjects were tested on vertical jump, 5-meter run, 5-meter × 4 shuttle-run, and 50-meter sprints before and after training. Descriptive statistics were adopted to express the percentage of improvement between pre-test and post-test. One-way ANCOVA was applied to determine the correlation between the power and the speed in both groups. RESULTS: Vertical jump, 5-meter run, 5-meter × 4 shuttle-run, and 50-meter sprints improved 14.46%, 4.71%, 5.18%, and 4.21% respectively in the experimental group after training. Both the boys and girls in the plyometric training group produced significant difference (p<0.05) on vertical jump, 5-meter run, 5-meter × 4 shuttle-run and 50-meter sprints. CONCLUSION: Under supervision, low intensity and gradual plyometric training significantly improved the performance of power and speed in children of both genders.