Plyometric training for rugby - part 1
By Chris Rowlatt, Strength and Performance Coach
Plyometric training is generally an under-valued tool for improving speed and power in women’s rugby. In the past, that’s largely because it’s hard to teach and often player’s didn’t have the strength background to tolerate plyometric training.
However, plyometrics play a vital role in development of speed, power and injury prevention and so we highly recommend inputting some into your weekly training schedules.
What is plyometric training?
Plyometric training is a method of training that improves the body’s ability to produce force using the stretch shortening cycle (SSC). In short, the SSC allows a muscle to contract with more force once it has been rapidly stretched (prestretch). This is due to the elastic energy created in the prestretch phase within the muscle and its connective tissue. Imagine an elastic band: it produces more force when pre stretched.
Usually, plyometric training comes in the form of jumping, hopping or bounding type movements but sprinting and throwing exercises also have a large plyometric component.
Although plyometric training often comes in the form of jumping, not all jumps are plyometric. A true plyometric movement requires a high intensity and a fast (0.2s or less) amortisation phase (transition/ground contact phase). Essentially the aim with a plyometric movement is to produce the highest amount of force in the shortest time possible.
Benefits for female rugby players
68% of training based injuries in premier 15s rugby players occur in the lower limb, with 25% being calf/achilles related. Plyometric training has many benefits that carry over to the rugby pitch in terms of performance but, critically, it can help prevent injury.
Some of these benefits include:
Increase in rate of force production (POWER!!)
Increase in reactive strength/ power due to increase in type ii muscle fibre recruitment
Increased eccentric strength - the body’s ability to absorb force which is an essential ingredient to injury prevention
Increased tendon stiffness, which will have a positive effect on the muscles ability to rapidly produce force
In a game of rugby, multiple instances of high speed or power occur. These are often in the form of sprinting, cutting or positive and negative accelerations. More often than not these types of actions will be the ones that influence whether a match is won or lost. Unfortunately, these actions are also common areas of injury.
It’s these high speed and power actions that are so heavily reliant on a player’s ability to produce high amounts of force as quickly as possible and plyometric training is one of the most effective training methods to improve that.
Implementing plyometrics into training
When it comes to integrating plyometric movements into your training programme, you must first remember that plyometrics are very physically demanding. This means you need adequate strength levels to withstand impact forces.
‘Adequate strength’ in the professional world is often referred to as being able to squat 2x bodyweight or other similar standards. However, in the everyday athlete these arbitrary numbers aren’t as relevant and they can hold people back. The reality is that during sport and even during childhood you will have been performing plyometric movements far before you achieved that level of strength. Adequate strength, therefore, may be better described as the ability to maintain proper posture throughout impact. This is an indicator that you are tolerating the impact enough at this stage and you are ready to progress volume and/or difficulty of plyos.
Another consideration is that plyometrics are very stressful on the central nervous system (CNS) and therefore they should be done early in the session and should not be completed too often. Plyometrics require complete recovery between sets, to ensure that you are able to maintain relevant quality and intensity throughout the workout.
How much and how often?
Plyometric training volume is monitored by the number of ground contacts per session. This number will depend on the experience and ability of the athlete and the intensity of the movements. A good guideline for volume is as follows:
Novice – 30-60*
Intermediate – 60-80*
Advanced – 80-120*
*ground contacts per session (high intensity – low intensity)
The number of plyometric training sessions per week will largely depend on a player’s current strength and conditioning levels, the phase of training block, and the volume of on-feet time they are currently doing.
Typically, anywhere from 1-3 sessions per week is recommended but as a general rule of thumb, the more packed your schedule is with games and rugby training, the fewer plyometric sessions you need. This is because games and training sessions will contain plyometric movements so will have to be accounted for in total volume. Plus, it’s important you’re not going into games fatigued or sore.
Head to part 2 to read about the types of plyos you should be performing. We’ve provided video demonstrations of the movements and their progression, for both beginner and intermediate levels.
