Basketball is a jumping and landing sport. Improve your jumping ability and you become a more effective player. Improve your landing ability and you become a safer player. One of the most functional types of exercises for basketball athletes is what is known as plyometrics, and one of the most useful tools in training is the plyometric box.
Plyometric Exercise
Plyometric exercise for the lower body is also known as jump training. This form of exercise trains your body to take advantage of what is known as the stretch-shortening cycle that your muscles go through. Proper plyometric training teaches your body to use the stored energy in your muscles to create more explosive jumps and sprints. To visualize how this works, think of a stretched rubber band that's released -- that's how your muscles work.
Plyometric Box
A plyometric box is an advanced training tool that is used to improve your basketball skills in jumping and landing. These boxes are made from different materials such as wood or heavy-gauge metal, and should have a nonslip top or landing surface. Plyometric boxes come in a variety of heights, from 6 to 42 inches. Because this piece of equipment is considered an advanced training technique, experts recommend that you only begin using it once you can safely squat 1 1/2 times your body weight.
Types
Since plyometric boxes vary in height, the height you use at any given time should ultimately be determined by your specific training goal during a workout, and your experience using this type of equipment. For example, training to improve your jumping ability may necessitate using a different height box than if you are training to reduce your risk of injury by improving your ability to land. Each of these training goals is focusing on a different aspect of plyometric training. Also, your level of training experience will greatly influence the height of the box, no matter the aspect of training. Beginners and intermediates should use the lower-height boxes.
Jumping
Jumping requires power in your lower body. You can train your body to develop the muscle power for jumping by performing box jumps. The goal behind box jumps is to use your leg muscles to spring up onto a box. To improve your jumping ability, you should start with lower-height boxes and work your way up to higher boxes as you develop strength and power in your legs. The higher the box, the more ground-force production necessary to safely reach that level. Experts recommend using boxes as low as 6 inches and working your way up.
Landing
Learning to land properly is an important skill in basketball training. According to sports conditioning trainers and injury-prevention specialists, this skill is of primary importance and should be taught before training for jumping. Depth jumps, which are actually performed by stepping off the box, not by jumping, are the training method used to improve landing technique. Safer landings are all about ground-force reduction or landing softly and with what is known as triple flexion. Because this type of training requires you to overcome significant landing forces, strength and conditioning experts suggest that if you weigh more than 220 pounds, you limit the height of the box to no more than 18 inches.
Safety
Plyometric box training is an advanced technique and requires that you use boxes specifically built and designed for that purpose. Purchase your plyometric box from a manufacturer or retailer that sells equipment specifically intended for this purpose. It's also recommended that you use this type of equipment with an experienced and certified trainer.
References
- "Explosive Power & Strength"; Donald A. Chu, Ph.D.; 1996
- "Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning"; Thomas R. Baechele, et al.; 2008
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