Research article - (2019)18, 805 - 811
The Effects of Plyometric Jump Training on Jumping and Swimming Performances in Prepubertal Male Swimmers
Senda Sammoud1,2, Yassine Negra1,2, Helmi Chaabene3,4, Raja Bouguezzi1, Jason Moran5, Urs Granacher3,
1Research Unit (UR17JS01) "Sport Performance & Health" Higher Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Ksar Said, University de “La Manouba”, Manouba, Tunisia
2Higher Institute of Sports and Physical Education, Manouba University, Tunis, Tunisia
3Division of Training and Movement Sciences, Research Focus Cognition Sciences, University of Potsdam, Germany
4High Institute of Sports and Physical Education, Kef, University of Jendouba, Tunisia
5School of Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester, UK

Urs Granacher
✉ Division of Training and Movement Sciences, Research Focus Cognition Sciences, University of Potsdam, Am Neuen Palais 10, 14469 Potsdam, Germany
Email: urs.granacher@uni-potsdam.de
Received: 12-02-2019 -- Accepted: 18-10-2019
Published (online): 19-11-2019
ABSTRACT

Swimming performance can be improved not only by in-water sport-specific training but also by means of dry land-training (e.g., plyometric jump training [PJT]). This study examined the effects of an 8-week PJT on proxies of muscle power and swimming performance in prepubertal male swimmers. Participants were randomly allocated to a PJT group (PJT; n = 14; age: 10.3 ± 0.4 years, maturity-offset = -3±0.3) or a control group (CG; n = 12; age: 10.5 ± 0.4 years, maturity-offset = -2.8 ± 0.3). Swimmers in PJT and CG performed 6 training sessions per week. Each training session lasted between 80 and 90 minutes. Over the 8 weeks in-season training period, PJT performed two PJT sessions per week, each lasting between 25 to 30 minutes (~1 hour per week) in replacement of sport-specific swimming drills. During that time, CG followed their regular sport-specific swimming training (e.g., coordination, breathing, improving swimming strokes). Overall training volume was similar between groups. Pre- and post-training, tests were conducted to assess proxies of muscle power (countermovement-jump [CMJ]), standing-long-jump [SLJ]) and sport-specific swimming performances (15-, 25-, and 50-m front-crawl, 25-m kick without push [25-m kick WP], and 25-m front-crawl WP). No training or test-related injuries were detected over the course of the study. Between-group analyses derived from magnitude-based inferences showed trivial-to-large effects in favour of PJT for all tests (ES = 0.28 to 1.43). Within-group analyses for the PJT showed small performance improvements for CMJ (effect-size [ES] = 0.53), 25-m kick WP (ES = 0.25), and 50-m front crawl (ES = 0.56) tests. Moderate performance improvements were observed for the SLJ, 25-m front-crawl WP, 15-m and 25-m front-crawl tests (ES = 0.95, 0.60, 0.99, and 0.85, respectively). For CG, the within-group results showed trivial performance declines for the CMJ (ES=-0.13) and the 50-m front-crawl test (ES = -0.04). In addition, trivial-to-small performance improvements were observed for the SLJ (ES = 0.09), 25-m kick WP (ES = 0.02), 25-m front-crawl WP (ES = 0.19), 25-m front-crawl (ES = 0.2), (SLJ [ES = 0.09, and 15-m front crawl (ES = 0.36). Short-term in-season PJT, integrated into the regular swimming training, was more effective than regular swimming training alone in improving jump and sport-specific swimming performances in prepubertal male swimmers.
Key words: Stretch-shortening cycle, young athletes, rate of force development, sport-specific performance

Key Points
  • Short-term (i.e., 8 weeks) plyometric jump training conducted during the in-season period is safe and it resulted in substantial improvements in jumping and swimming performances in prepubertal male swimmers.
  • Practitioners should consider plyometric jump training when designing their training strategies to improve swimming performance of prepubertal male athletes.








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The Effects of Plyometric Jump Training on Jumping and Swimming Performances in Prepubertal Male Swimmers
Senda Sammoud, Yassine Negra, Helmi Chaabene, Raja Bouguezzi, Jason Moran, Urs Granacher
2019(18), 805 - 811.
DOI: https://doi.org/