Strength Training for Volleyball Players

Strength Training for Volleyball PlayersThe amelioratement of these abilities is quite important for a volleyball player, being the muscular expertness many quantify the priority for the young jock. Several studies nonplus reported significant improvements in unsloped take a hop following resistance fosterage (bread maker et al, 1994 ) and (St unitary et al, 1981).The purpose of military posture learn for volleyball is non to build big passs, but to develop the bodily char flirteristics necessary to improve a players performance.Strength homework is very important to volleyball and however, should not be developed independently from some other abilities such as agility, speed and endurance.This plan is designed mainly to improve the get toment of good jump in volleyball for players with moderate to advanced experience.Needs AnalysisNeeds analysis focuses on the fitness needs of both the action mechanism (vertical jump) and the athlete gnarly in the frolic (voll eyball).Sport analysisSuccessful participation in volleyball sport requires expertise in many physical skills and performance is often dependent on an individuals ability to go themselves into the air during both offensive and defensive manoeuvres. These movements include the jump serve, spike, and block. During the carrying bulge out of a jump serve or a spike, the player jumps high into the air and strikes the ball at the highest point of their jump in an exploit to propel the ball rapidly down towards the opposing side of the net.Defensively, front row players defend against spikes by jumping into the air with their hands raised in an effort to impede the offensive attack. Unlike offensive jumps, defensive jumps argon not maximal vertical jump efforts.There be many factors that ar involved in an athletes vertical jump and many factors that are involved in improving an athletes vertical jump. Vertical jump mainly involves use of the disappoint limbs. However, the swiftness limbs play an important role in vertical jump activity. Feltner et al (1999) and H girdan et al (1990) concluded that using an arm rock during vertical jumping improved performance over no arm swing.An upward swing causes a downward fury on the luggage compartment which in turn slows the rate of contraction of the leg vigor builders allowing the muscles to contract at a slower velocity and thus pay backs more force. The fact that an arm swing is so important to vertical jumping performance, may indicate that there is a technique or skill component to vertical jumping, quite than skillful leg power (Young, 1995).Another biomechanical aspect of vertical jump is the bi-lateral deficit. Bi-lateral deficit results in disparate heights one-leg versus two-leg vertical jump. The maximal height achieved from one-legged jump is just 60% of the maximal two-legged height (Challis, 1998). The possible reason for this deficit may be a neuromuscular adaptation. One-leg jump requires a maximal recruitment of muscle fibres due to less muscle mass available.Furthermore, the height that is achieved by the vertical jump has a direct correlation with the amount of force that is produced by the muscle fibres. This force is created by a phenomenon known as the stretch-shortening cycle of muscle fibres. The stretch-shortening cycle is a natural reaction by muscle fibres to slow the bole from fast movements and pr yett tarnish to the individual involved (Kraemer and Newton, 1994). The stretch-shortening cycle involves a counter-movement when a muscle fibre is rapidly stretched creating tension within the muscle. A counter-movement occurs when the muscles are eccentrically stretched, and then rapidly shortened to accelerate the em ashes in the opposite direction and achieve the reverse desirable action.To accomplish this, the muscles act eccentrically to slow the body and initiate the reverse desirable movement (Kraemer and Newton, 1994). This cycle is critical to vert ical jump performance. As the individual flexes the knees to jump, the stretch shortening cycle is activated and the athlete explodes into the jump. Newton et al (1997) claimed that there may be an even more important factor to producing moreforceful contractions. The research that they conducted came to the conclusion that force turnout did increase as a function of load, but lighter loads in like manner produced more force because of the speed that the muscle was contracting. In terms of muscle fibre type, elite group volleyball players typically show muscle fibre percentages of around 52-60% Fast Twitch muscle fibre composition, which compare favourably to samplesfrom elite level sprinters and jumpers (45-80%FT) (Conlee et al, 1982). A final biomechanical feature of vertical jumps involves the mechanics of the two-joint muscles of the lower limbs. The major muscle groups of the lower extremities involved in vertical jump are the hamstrings, quadriceps and gastrocnemius. All the se muscle groups are bi-articulated muscles that cross over multiple joints. The sequence of muscle activation occurs through a proximal to distal traffic pattern (Pandy, 1991). Thus, the gluteus maximus and hamstrings are activated first with a distinct goal of accelerating the trunk upward after countermovement. The activation continues downward through thigh, shank and at last to the toes. Therefore, all of the lower limb muscles must work in order to develop an detonative power.Energy sourceResearch has shown that elite volleyball players to blaspheme primarily upon their anaerobic energy outline to supply energy demands during a match (Conlee et al, 1982).However, matches can last up to two and a half hours wherefore some aerobic component must be present as wellhead. Volleyball is 90% anaerobic and 10% aerobic (Baechle et al, 2000). The aerobic energy system may not be relied upon during matches, but it is certainly important during pedagogy sessions, rest, and recover y periods. In relation to the specific composition of muscle fibres, it has been suggested that athletes with a well developed anaerobic power capacity will generate more power than athletes with a high aerobic power capacity (Conlee et al, 1982).Primary sites of accidental injuryThe mechanisms and frequencies of injury in volleyball are well documented. The jump-landing sequence is the close common source of injury in volleyball (Briner and Kacmar, 1997). In fact, blocking and spiking are linked with over 70% of volleyball injuries (Watkins and Green, 1992). Ferretti et al., (1992) hypothesized that the high number of jumps and the likelihood of losing labyrinthine sense due to deviations in jumping technique are the primary causes of injury during volleyball. The vast majority (90%) of volleyball injuries occur in the lower extremity with the knee joint being finically vulnerable (Gerberich et al, 1987). Knee injuries are of particular importance because they are associated wit h more lost time from sports participation than other injury sites (Solgrd et al, 1995). A well-designed volleyball training chopine will withal religious service to reduce the incidence and severity of injury in volleyball players. Despite being a non-contact sport, a tether study found that volleyball is the eighth most injury prone sport in the age group 14 to 20 years (De Los ,1995).Program DesignA well-structured volleyball training political program can increase explosive power, vertical jump height, stamina and speed and agility around the court. Skill training alone, such as practising spikes, wont develop the physical traits necessary to play to the athletes full potential (Gabbett et al, 2006).Volleyball players have exceptional lower body power and perform well in the vertical jump test (Smith et al,1992). Power in the legs is needed to jump explosively off the ground in order to spike, block, set and dive.This program is designed to maximize the vertical jump for a professional volleyball player who is very interest in increase his vertical jump to enhance his sport performance for the in-season period. It is a pre-season program which focuses on actual sport specific functions. Squatting, jumping, lateral stepping, hitting and spiking are all common volleyball movements. The pre-season volleyball strength training routine is less intense than the off-season. The goal is to maintain that strength and power, but to perfect sport specific movements.The case is a full-time employee therefore he has no plenty of time for training. He also practises volleyball with no real schedule. He devotes his weekend to leisure activities and social commitments, so training must be scheduled during weekdays.Conveniently, the subject has no prior major sports injury and he was medically cleared fit for resistance training. The subject has upright background of resistance training programs and he has been on training course over the past three months. His training included jogging for 30 legal proceeding and some basic general strength exercises. In order to make strength a valuable physiological component, it must be trained in such a way that gains in strength lead to the highest levels of jumping power. This jumping power must then be effectively applied during the game. To achieve this, strength program is structured into three training phases that lead into the competitive phase. This program consists of three phases (mesocycles) derived from a classic periodization model. These three phases are basic strength, explosive strength and reactive strength. Each phase is four weeks in length.Phase 1This phase precedes explosive strength and reactive strength training. This is important even for experienced strength-trained athletes as the nature of competitive sport places uneven stresses on the body. The goal here is not to try to necessarily mimic sports movements, but rather just to increase the contractual force producing capabi lities of the muscles that are involved in the vertical jump. This phase lasts for 4 weeks and it aims to balance strength between the two sides of the body. It also aims to restore correct balance between the flexors and extensors (such as the hamstrings and quadriceps for example).Attention will be paid to developing limit strength in the muscles of the quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings and lower back as these are the most important muscle groups for vertical jumping. The muscles of the hip extensors will be given special attention because they are commonly the weak links in the large majority of athletes. These muscles are the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back. During this phase, training begins at a low intensity with high volume. It includes sport-specific exercises related to vertical jump as well as some non-specific exercises such as core exercises. Overload progress from 60% to 75% of 1RM. Repetitions per set range from 5 to 10 depending on how intense the exercise is.Phase 2The goal of explosive strength exercises is to either perform the movement with more speed, or with more height. For example, try to jump higher while squatting with light to moderate weights. Generally, speed of movement, especially the fountain of the movement, is more important than the load involved when it comes to these exercises.Explosive strength movements focus on developing maximal starting and explosive strength, without much involvement of the reflexive stretch-shortening cycle .They essentially focus on applying max conscious force as quickly as possible.In this phase plyometric exercises will be introduced particularly jumps in place and standing jump.Phase 3 excited strength exercises broadly consist of jumps. The goal with the reactive strength exercises is to execute the movements with either less time spent on the ground or by jumping higher. These movements allow you to take advantage and build upon the reflexive forces that come from the plyometric effect. Th ey are essential for anyone wanting to jump higher and run faster. This training uses the stretch-shortening cycle (stretch reflex) .The stretching reflex responds to the speed at which muscle/tendon complex is stretched prior to movement. Therefore, the faster and greater the stretch is the greater the corresponding reactive force will be.SpecificityAll exercises included in this program are designed to improve strength, neuromuscular adaptations and recruitment of muscles involved in vertical jump.Volleyball requires explosive movements with sequential use of muscles in a specific order. Olympic lifts strengthen muscles at a similar velocity and in the same order as needed in volleyball (Cross, 1993). Thus, this program will include use of Olympic lifts (snatch, clean and jerk). Most vertical jumping in volleyball is performed from nonoperational standing or from a two-step approach (Black, 1995). However, many upward and lateral movements of the upper limb are needed for blockin g and spiking. Upper body and abdominal (trunk) strength has also been shown to be a contributing factor to vertical jump performance (Bobbert et al, 1994).Strength in the upper body, particularly the arm and shoulders helps to increase the strength throughout the trunk region which creates solid posture to help maximise jumping technique. Therefore, this program includes many exercises of upper body in order to strengthen all muscles involved in vertical jump.Other exercises (bench press, push press and core conditioning) are included in the program although they do not specifically improve vertical jump. These exercises are included to maintain muscular balance and enhance strength base.While this program is basically designed to improve the vertical jump, it would also be sufficient in developing upper and lower body strength and power. This program also includes some plyometric activities for both upper and lower limbs.Velocity specificity is an important consideration when des igning resistance training programs for vertical jump. It indicates that training adaptations (e.g., increased strength/power) are greatest at or near the training velocity (Pereira and Gomes,2003). However, there exists a conflicting hypothesis that the intention to move a barbell, ones own body, or any other object explosively is more important than the actual movement velocity in determining velocity-specific responses of the neuromuscular system to resistance training (Behm and Sale, 1993)Plyometric training has been shown to be one of the most effective methods for improving explosive power (Fleck and Kraemer, 2004). A wide variety of athletes can benefit from power training, particularly if it follows or coincides with a strength training program. In order for plyometric training to be at its most effective it should follow a phase of maximal strength training (Baechle et al, 2000). The purpose of plyometrics is to improve the athletes capacity to apply more force more rapidly .Logically then, the greater the athletes ability to generate maximal force or strength to begin with, the more of it can be converted into sport-specific power. Weighted vertical jumps are included in this program for its popularity among training specialists and for its proven benefits in many studies. Baker et al. (2001) found that maximal power was achieved during weighted squat jumps with a 48-63% of 1RM squat. Moreover, Wilson et al. (1993) concluded that weighted jumps increased counter-movement and non-counter-movement vertical jump heights more than the traditional resistance training and plyometric.In the same way, Newton et al (1997) showed that ballistic jump squat training against 30, 60, and 80% 1RM improved vertical jump performance of elite volleyball players significantly more than squat and leg press training with 6RM loads. Subjects in both groups also completed the usual on-court volleyball practice, which involved a large volume of jumping activities. Harris et al. (2000) support this idea by showing the superiority of a compounding of heavy- and light-load training to either training method alone in improving a variety of sports performance in football players. Accordingly, athletes may benefit most from resistance training using a range of loads with the intention to move explosively coupled with practicing of the actual sport movementEquipment and spottingThis program relies mainly on free-weight training exercises including barbell and dumbbells. Other equipment include pulley and plyometric training facilities such as medicine balls, boxes and hurdles .Free weight training has some advantages over machine training such as whole body training and simulation of real sport activities.However, free weight training requires more balance and coordination. Therefore, spotting is highly required during training with free weights particularly with beginners and young athletes. This program has plenty of free weight exercises performed in diff erent positions and angles and at different velocities therefore, spotting will be carried out for the most of exercises but special attention will be given to the most dangerous exercises such as overhead exercises and Olympic lifts.IntensityThe intensity of the program starts at a low level and increases gradually throughout the program. 1RM strength was established at the beginning of the program by estimation from a 10RM test-measured value. 1RM is retested every two weeks after the initial test. However, 1RM will be estimated from 1RM-5RM at the beginning of the second mesocycle. Estimating the 1RM from 10RM provides a general guide until the trainee has developed sufficient strength and neural adaptations that would make testing at low RMs safe an effective (Fleck and Kraemer, 2004).Intensity is adjusted by increasing the amount lifted and using supersetting and compound exercises (several exercises for the same muscle group, or multiple exercises for different muscle groups p erformed with little or no rest). During the last week (microcycle) of each mesocycle, the intensity and volume are slightly decreased in order to allow time for complete adaptation to take place. Plyometric exercises are introduced fit in to their intensity level. Low intensity exercises are first introduced followed by moderate and then high intensity exercises.Training volumeTraining volume is generally estimated from the total number of sets and repetitions performed in a single session. A multiple-set (three to six sets) power program incorporated into a strength training program consisting of one to six repetitions in periodized manner is recommended for advanced power training (Fleck and Kraemer, 2004). One meta-analysis (Rhea et al, 2003) concluded that four sets of resistance training produced twice the strength increases of one set. Baker et al (2001) concluded that as training volume increases, power tends to decrease and vice versa. Therefore, in order to maximize power gains in this program, the volume of the training starts at a high level and steadily decreases over time. Resistance training volume is further reduced when introducing plyometric exercises. Volume is adjusted by change magnitude the number of repetitions per set or by decreasing the number of sets per session.Rest and recoveryAdequate rest and recovery are addressed by allowing a full day of rest between each two successive sessions, as well as limiting number of exercises per set. Generally, rest between sets ranges from three to four minutes depending on the number of repetitions performed and intensity of the exercise. For example, a set of 6 repetitions of box jump will need four- minute- rest. When training muscle groups which act together in the same session (i.e. pectorals and deltoids), fatigue may take place. To prevent this problem the muscle groups just trained will be rested or an unrelated muscle groups such as calf group may be trained prior to the training of su bsequent muscle groups that have similar actions. Plyometric exercises are performed at the beginning of the training session after a thorough warm-up. Doing so, athlete will develop maximal power forwards muscle become fatigued from resistance training(Fleck and Kraemer, 2004). The highest volume and intensity exercises are usually performed on Fridays, thus allowing two-day recovery.PeriodizationThis program is designed as a pre-season training consisting of three mesocycles, with four microcycles in each mesocycle. Each microcycle is one week long and involves training over three days Monday, Wednesday and Friday.ConclusionThis program is designed to improve the vertical jump in a professional volleyball player. The workouts are demanding but simple enough to complete in 40 minutes or less. More importantly, psychological factors have been taken into account. This is the reason for the variation in the program within each cycle. Subject may pass through some workouts or be not interested in training because of physical or emotional stress. However, with proper supervision and coaching and compliance to this program, the subject will see not only increases in strength and power, but also improvement in vertical jumping and consequently physical performance.