Programming Plyometrics Year-Round: Getting the Right Plyos in the Right Places

#30 – Strength & Speed Coaching – Pursuing Your Best ⚡

First off, apologies for the delay in getting this one out—I appreciate your patience.

Also, I hope you are having a great Easter weekend with family and friends. More than just a spring holiday, Easter reminds us of the incredible hope and renewal we have through Jesus. That truth shapes everything I do, and I’m grateful to share this space with people pursuing excellence in their own lives and work.

Now—let’s jump in.

Plyometrics can make athletes more explosive. But they can also wear athletes down—fast—if they’re not programmed with purpose.

That’s why understanding where plyos fit is just as important as knowing how to coach them.

This issue is all about strategy.

We’ll walk through how to place plyos across your training week and year so they support—not compete with—your lifting, sprinting, and sport demands.

You’ll learn how to:

• Align your plyos with sprint, change-of-direction, and return-to-play work

• Build a year-round roadmap without overwhelming your plan

• Avoid overuse and manage volume like a pro

Let’s make your plyos more effective—and more sustainable.

---

Why Planning Plyos Matters

When plyos are an afterthought—tacked onto the end of lifts or practices—they lose their punch. Intent drops. Movement quality slips. And athletes just get beat up.

But when programmed the right way, plyos become one of the most effective tools in your system:

• They connect strength to sport.

• They sharpen speed and agility.

• They reduce injury risk when integrated intelligently.

The goal isn’t more jumps—it’s better-programmed jumps/plyos.

Plyos are how we teach athletes to use their strength in sport-specific movements—by absorbing force, redirecting it, and expressing power with control.

---

Our Approach: Low Volume, High Intent, Consistent Exposure

At Mustang Strength & Speed, we don’t chase jump volume.
We chase movement quality and transfer to the field or court.

That means:

• Low reps per session (typically under 20 total ground contacts per plyo block or session, depending on time of year)

• High intent on every rep (“bounce off the floor,” “stick and hold,” “explode out”)

• Plyos placed early in sessions when athletes are fresh

• Integrated into warm-ups, sprint sessions, and block themes—not added “extra work”

This approach helps us:

• Reduce wear and tear

• Keep athletes engaged and moving with purpose

• Build consistent exposure over time instead of crushing them in one day

Plyos done right don’t just build bounce—they build readiness.

---

Where Plyos Fit in Your Weekly Plan

Let’s walk through a few smart ways to integrate plyos across a typical training week.

Option 1: Pre-Lift (Best for Power Focus)

Use 1–2 high-intent jumps as a primer before strength work. Think quality over quantity.

• Example: 2–3 sets of 3 reps

• Movements: Depth jump, hurdle hop, seated box jump

• Purpose: Fire up the CNS and reinforce powerful mechanics

Bonus: This primes athletes for better intent in their main lifts.

---

Option 2: Pre-Sprint or Pre-COD (Best for Movement Focus)

Place plyos at the front of speed/agility sessions to reinforce posture, stiffness, and bounce.

• Example: 2–3 quick drills over 5–8 minutes

• Movements: Pogos, lateral bounds, mini hurdle jumps

• Purpose: Prep the body and sharpen movement timing

Bonus: The jumps teach the same qualities you want in sprint and COD drills.

---

Option 3: Standalone Micro-Dose (Best for Low-Dose Frequency)

Use short blocks of plyos 2–3x/week in warm-ups or cooldowns to build consistent volume without fatigue.

• Example: Monday/Wednesday warm-up series

• Movements: Pogo jumps, jump & stick, repeat broad jump

• Purpose: Keep movement sharp without adding full training time

Bonus: Great way to keep rhythm and explosiveness during in-season play.

---

Categorizing Plyos with Purpose

To program plyometrics well, you need more than just a list of jump drills—you need a way to organize them with intention.

Here’s how we break down our plyos into movement categories that make sense for the sport, training block, and athlete needs.

Remember, this is a framework to think about plyometric movement and how it can best apply to sport. Don’t get overwhelmed by the number of categories, rather see how all the categories fit together.

---

1. Plane of Movement

• Vertical: Box jumps, pogo jumps, depth drops
  Great for vertical power, posture, and stiffness

• Horizontal: Broad jumps, bounding, single-leg hops
  Builds acceleration, change-of-direction, and hip projection

• Lateral: Lateral bounds, skater hops, side-to-side hurdle jumps
  Essential for agility, deceleration, and lateral force absorption

• Multi-Directional: 45° bounds, zig-zag hops, crossover jumps
  Trains sport-specific movement patterns and reaction

---

2. Leg Involvement

• Bilateral: Two-foot takeoff and landing
  Use early for coordination and to teach intent

• Unilateral: Single-leg takeoff, landing, or both
  Progress to build stability, control, and sport-specific transfer

• Split Stance or Staggered: Split jumps, scissor hops
  Helpful for return-to-play or sport-specific rhythm and timing

---

3. Tempo & Rhythm

• Continuous (Reactive): Mini hurdle hops, depth jump to bounce
  Teaches stiffness, quick ground contact, and rhythm

• Non-Continuous (Single Effort ): Jump and stick, pause jump
  Ideal for building control, landing mechanics, and awareness

Use both styles—just match the tempo to the day’s training goals.

---

4. Movement Type

• Hops: Same-leg takeoff and landing (e.g. R → R)
  Excellent for force absorption, especially in return-to-play

• Jumps: Two-leg takeoff and landing (e.g. R+L → R+L)
  Most common and versatile—great starting point

• Bounds: Alternating takeoff and landing (e.g. R → L → R)
  Builds horizontal power and coordination under movement stress

• Skips: Rhythm-based, often used for warm-ups and motor control
  Simple and effective for timing, rhythm, and prep

  ---

5. Effort Type (Intensity)

Helps you decide what kind of stress you’re applying and how to dose it.

• Low-Intensity (Extensive): Skips, pogos, low hurdle hops, mini hurdle series
  Used for warm-ups, movement prep, or recovery sessions. Also great for teaching stiffness, posture, or progressing athletes

• High-Intensity (Intensive): Jump & stick, Depth jumps, bounding, reactive hurdle jumps
  Requires full intent, longer rest, and tight volume control

---

6. Load Direction

This one’s subtle, but useful when balancing stress and sport transfer.

• Bodyweight Only: Most true plyos—focus is on speed, coordination, stiffness

• Overloaded: Weighted jumps, band-resisted or band-assisted jumps
  Builds strength-speed or speed-strength

• Accelerated: Band-assisted jumps, downhill bounds
  Helps develop overspeed qualities and eccentric control

---

7. Landing Strategy

A niche, but useful way to assess where your athlete is in development or return-to-play.

• Double-Leg Landings
  Stable, consistent—ideal for early teaching

• Single-Leg Landings
  Requires more control, balance, and proprioception

• Alternating Landings (e.g. bound → stick)
  Adds coordination, rhythm, and load-sharing awareness

---

8. Purpose or Focus

This ties it all together—especially if you're building progressions across the semester.

• Power Output – e.g. seated box jump

• Reactive Strength – e.g. depth jump to bounce

• Motor Control / Coordination – e.g. skip-to-stick

• Tissue Resilience / Return-to-Play – e.g. single-leg stick, eccentric drop landings

• Change of Direction Support – e.g. lateral bound + stick, 45° hops

---

Why This Matters

Instead of randomly plugging in jumps, this framework helps you:

• Match movements to the day’s goal (e.g. vertical jump + heavy squat)

• Sequence plyos across the year with variation and intent

• Identify gaps in your programming (e.g. all vertical, no lateral)

Simple structure. Big return.

---

Final Thoughts

Don’t let plyos become noise in your program. Make them intentional.

• Program the right jumps in the right blocks.

• Pair them with sprint and lift goals—not against them.

• Keep volume appropriate for the phase—and the athlete.

That’s how you make plyometrics sustainable, scalable, and powerful in any setting.

---

What’s Next?

This is just the second installment in our four-part Plyometric Series.

Coming up next:

Progressions That Work: How to Build Better Plyometric Pathways
We’ll break down how to move athletes from basic jump drills to advanced reactive plyos—without rushing the process or skipping steps. You’ll get a simple progression model you can apply to beginners and returners alike, plus ideas for how to regress, adjust, and teach intent along the way.

And then…

Plyo Mistakes Coaches Make: What to Fix, What to Stop, and What to Start Doing
We’ll wrap the series with a deep dive into the most common errors in plyometric coaching and programming. You’ll get practical fixes for overuse, misaligned progressions, and lack of intent—plus a checklist for making your jump training more effective and athlete-friendly.

Stay tuned!

---

Need Help Structuring Plyos for Your Setting?

I offer consulting for PE teachers and Strength & Speed coaches looking to:

• Map plyos across a semester or sport season

• Pair plyos with sprint and lifting blocks

• Build safe, effective jump plans for all levels

Let’s build something that works for your athletes and your schedule.

Just hit reply or shoot me a message and we’ll talk shop.

Until then, keep pursuing excellence.

— Preston ⚡️