Aquatic plyometric training increases vertical jump in female volleyball players

This is already an old article but reviewing some articles on volleyball S&C should be of interest. In the 2005 Med Sci Sports Exerc 2005 OCT journal an article “Aquatic plyometric training increases vertical jump in female volleyball players” was presented and the medline abstract is below. One possible flaw is the age of the players and also the control group that only did stretching. But nevertheless for this age group this method could provide a double whammy by assisting recovery and enhancing general strength and power levels and not injuring the players given there were no injuries in the study and little soreness. This was  a progressive programme, consisting of two 45-minute sessions in a swimming pool twice a week. Exercises included power skips, spike approaches, single- and double-leg bounding, continuous jumps for height, squat jumps with blocking form and depth jumps. Thus coaches could mix and match a complete conditioning session by using these results and mixing in some varied volleyball relevant routines. An 11% increase in Vertical Jump in 6 weeks at this age is most promising versus 5% for the stretching group which occured in first month being obviously an adaptation to volleyball training. One of the reasons I reviewed this article was because some players at 15 have done little strength work and so an aggressive plyometric program can often cause more bad than good. Thus maybe in girls who have missed out on crucial developmental phases some work in the water whilst a strength programme is commenced may be a great bridging method.

ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Numerous studies have reported that land-based plyometrics can improve muscular strength, joint stability, and vertical jump (VJ) in athletes; however, due to the intense nature of plyometric training, the potential for acute muscle soreness or even musculoskeletal injury exists. Performance of aquatic plyometric training (APT) could lead to similar benefits, but with reduced risks due to the buoyancy of water. Unfortunately, there is little information regarding the efficacy of APT. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the effects of APT on VJ and muscular strength in volleyball players. METHODS: Nineteen female volleyball players (aged 15 +/- 1 yr) were randomly assigned to perform 6 wk of APT or flexibility exercises (CON) twice weekly, both in addition to traditional preseason volleyball training. Testing of leg strength was performed at baseline and after 6 wk, and VJ was measured at baseline and after 2, 4, and 6 wk. RESULTS: Similar increases in VJ were observed in both groups after 4 wk (APT = 3.1%, CON = 4.9%; both P < 0.05); however, the APT group improved by an additional 8% (P < 0.05) from week 4 to week 6, whereas there was no further improvement in the CON group (-0.9%; P = NS). After 6 wk, both groups displayed significant improvements in concentric peak torque during knee extension and flexion at 60 and 180 degrees x s(-1) (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The combination of APT and volleyball training resulted in larger improvements in VJ than in the CON group. Thus, given the likely reduction in muscle soreness with APT versus land-based plyometrics, APT appears to be a promising training option.