The impact of plyometric training program on sprinting speed and jumping ability in american football players of a german amateur club

Abstract

Background: The profile of requirements for an American Football game is characterized by good sprinting and jumping performance. The literature highlights the benefits of plyometric training on sprinting speed and jumping ability. Due to an increasing professionalization of American football in Germany, a transfer to the training practice is obsolete. Aim: The aim of the study was to determine the impact of additional participation in a plyometric training program on sprinting speed and jumping ability of players of the American Football Team in Germany. Material and Methods: The study was conducted in May 2014, with 20 players of an amateur American Football Club in Germany including the treatment group of 10 participants (age: 22.44 ± 3.4 years) and the control group of 10 participants (age: 17.10 ± 1.20 years). The treatment group followed a plyometric training routine once per week for 2 months while the control group was attending only the team training. The variables assessed at baseline and after 2 months included the speed measurements of a 30 m sprint and acceleration in the first 5 m, and the results of CMJ, SJ, and DJ performed from the heights of 16cm, 24cm, and 32cm. Results: Analysis of variance did not confirm statistically significant improvements in sprint time in the 30m sprint and jumping performance in SJ and DJ in the treatment group. The sprint time in the first five meters of the 30-meter sprint showed a highly significant increase of 1.66%. In the CMJ, a marginally significant increase in jump height of 6.37% was found. Conclusions: significant improvements as a result of the plyometric strength training can be only found in the jump height in the CMJ. In order to reach more comprehensive conclusions, physical fitness of the subjects, a longer intervention duration, and a higher training volume should be taken into account in future studies.