The Balanced Development of Jumpers

1. The Balanced Development of Jumpers • All Developmental Stages of an Athlete should have ‘EQUALITY of THOUGHT

2. Training in the Early Years • Training must be General to Specific • Work should be mainly Aerobic prior to puberty • Anaerobic Training should be introduced gradually from the ages of 14-15 years • Foremost we must build BALANCED athletes.

3. Training Elements • Strength • Suppleness • Speed • Skill • Stamina

4. Strength Progression • Hill Running • Distances can be lengthened/timed • Gradients can be chosen and varied • Body Weight Circuits • Circuit training • Stage Circuits – increase intensity • Aerobic including jog recoveries • Body Weight Circuits are ENDURANCE based

5. Strength Progression • Medicine Ball Exercises • Start with footballs or light balls • Weights of balls are increased • Degree of exercise difficulty is intensified • Skills with balls are required • Games , Relays and Competitions can be utilised

6. Strength Progression • Bounding • Jumps in place • Standing Jumps • Multiple hops and jumps – horizontal surface • Ditto over barriers – height changes • Box drills or specific work • Depth jumps • Jumping down • Start with LOW intensity

7. Strength Progression • Multi-Gym apparatus • Isolates major muscle groups • Safe • Only works in a fixed plane • Good first learning experience to a GYM environment

8. Strength Progression • Free Weights • All body exercise • Balance and co-ordination challenged • Increases competitive nature • Correct technique MUST be taught

9. Suppleness • Mobility – Normal progression is Active to Passive to Kinetic/Ballistic • Active – Limbs are positioned by the exerciser’s own muscles • The end position is held for 10-30 secs • Passive – Using the aid of an external force – Partner or Apparatus • Kinetic/Ballistic – Bouncing or swinging actions • Mobility starts to decline at approximately 8 years of age.

10. Suppleness Progression • As the athlete matures, we should maintain general mobility but increase Specific mobility to ankles, hips, spine, and shoulders.

11. Skill • Should be developed at an early age • Skill Hungry Years are : • Girls – 8-11 years old • Boys – 8-13 years old

12. Skill Progression • Initially isolated movements using individual drills • Co-ordination sequences • Introduce complication of synchronisation movement at increasing speeds • Two Keys : Speed of free limb movement & Postural stability • Concentration usually subsides after Approximately 20 minutes

13. Speed • Speed is a development of skill • Previously learned drills are practiced at an increased tempo • Rhythms are maintained • Jumping activities are performed lightly increasing to fast explosive activities • Speed training before strength/stamina training in individual session ? • FULL recoveries between repetitions required

14. Stamina • Endurance is required to practice exercises to a high level of quality • Aerobic is adjusted to anaerobic • Interval runs replace longer single runs • Gradient running is introduced • Circuit training is intensified

15. The emphasis of objectives will vary during each age/stage of development. It will also vary from one athlete to another.Generally it will look like this :Scale: 1= Minimal Emphasis, 5 = Essential Emphasis

16. The emphasis of objectives will vary during each age/stage of development. It will also vary from one athlete to another.Generally it will look like this :