Balance and Plyometrics: Why you need BOTH.

Most people think of plyometric training as an “athlete only” exercise. However, many people do not realize the benefits of plyometric training on all ages of populations. Youth populations can benefit from balance and neuromuscular control, elderly populations can benefit from bone health and muscle recruitment, and athletes can benefit from improved agility, speed, and balance. With any goal or need, balance and plyometric training can usually bring about health improvements if executed safely for the individual’s level of skill.

 Plyometrics are best used following a period of balance training to capitalize on a landing conducive to loading for the next movement. Landing mechanics can be one of the most injury prone times of plyometric training if the individual is not properly prepared. However, is balance preceding plyometrics a necessary order?

The effect of plyometric training on balance has been observed in a few different sports requiring fast movements, decelerated landings or change of direction. According to Hammami et al. (2016), youth athletes of 12-13 years old have superior performance in Y-balance tests and leg stiffness when plyometric training was performed after balance training. These results show that a progressive model (like OPT) is not only imperative to youth athlete’s stability, but also that balance training sets up plyometric success to further increase balance ability in youth (Hammami et al., 2016). This means training should focus on gradual progression which leads to explosive movements and proper landing safety.  

Furthermore, Karadenizli (2016) stated that “balance ability is affected by explosive power,” suggesting plyometric training of the study was positive for increased dynamic balance performance. In addition, it is mentioned in Karadenizli’s article (2016) that athletes tend to have greater balance in the non-dominant limb after plyometric training, in all directions (medial, lateral, anteriorly, and posteriorly) if the sport requires a dominant hand or leg for skill.

These findings can also be applied to daily movements which require change of direction or landing mechanics. An uneven surface which trips an elderly individual, a drop in sidewalk height, playing with your kid in the yard and changing directions quickly to catch them, the list continues! Additionally, they can be applied to tactical athletes if training is able to go a step further and provide balance and plyometrics under load carriage.

Similarly, Turget et al. (2017) hypothesized a connection between neuromuscular control, stretch-shortening cycle, and dynamic balance. Studying young female volleyball players, in the movements and activities requiring athletes to quickly regain balance after a jump, run, or slide: the study supported plyometric training to produce an increase in neuromuscular control and thus dynamic balance (Turgut et al., 2017).  A functional screening tool and star excursion test were used to analyze lower extremity dynamic balance of both limbs, showing the training group to improve in medial-lateral stability and static balance (Turgut et al., 2017). 

These three articles highlight use, order, and effects of plyometric training on balance performance in youth athletes. Although it seems balance training is needed to provide a safe base for plyometric training, plyometric training is also needed to produce neuromuscular adaptations contributing to balance improvement. Therefore, plyometric training can be used for far more than vertical jump, explosive power, and long jumps in athletes.

These studies can also be used to see crossover of age, need, and skill levels of all populations to benefit with balance and plyometric training. If more emphasis is placed on comfortable and safe movement across all areas, rather than “athletes do this,” individuals would notice that change of direction and balance improvements would cross over to healthier life activities as well!

Let us know if you are interested in training with us! We love to focus on lower limb mechanics which lead to overall improvements in function and health of movements.

References:

Hammami, R., Granacher, U., Makhlouf, I., Behm, D. G., & Chaouachi, A. (2016). Sequencing effects of balance and plyometric training on physical performance in youth soccer athletes. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 30(12), 3278-3289. http://dx.doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000001425

Karadenizli, Z. I. (2016). The effects of plyometric training on balance, anaerobic power and physical fitness parameters in handball. The Anthropologist, 24(3), 751-761. https://doi.org/10.1080/09720073.2016.11892072

Turgut, E., Colakoglu, F. F., Serbes, P., Akarcesme, C., & Baltaci, G. (2017). Effects of 12-week in-season low-intensity plyometric training on dynamic balance of pre-pubertal female volleyball players. Turkish Journal of Sport and Exercise, 19(1), 24-30. http://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/tsed/issue/29096/303720