Plyometrics: Sprint bounding and the sprint bound index Warren Young Australian Institute of Sport Bruce, Australia Iyometric exercises have been used by sprinters for many years to develop leq power. One popular exercise is bounding, a multiple jumping exercise for ‘maximum distance using a one-foot take-off, much lke the step phase of the tripleump event. Although this is a useful exercise itis not as specific to sprinting as may be expected. Ttis generally well accepted that the more specific a training exercise to a competitive movement, the greater the transfer of the training effect to perform- ance. Therefore, it is crucial to identify the movement demands in competition to determine specific training methods, especially as the competitive season approaches. The purpose of this article is to explain how sprint bounding can be used as a highly specific plyometric exercise for the training and testing of sprinters. ‘The support or contact phase of sprinting begins with an eccentric contraction (muscle lengthening) of the leg extensor muscle as the center of gravity of the body is lowered slightly. This is immediately followed by a concentric contraction (muscle shortening) of the same muscle during the push-off or propulsive phase of the contact, which drives the body forward and upward. This muscle contraction sequence occurs with every foot contact, and can be described as a stretch shortening cycle (SSC). The ability to change quickly from the eccentric to concentric contraction has been defined as “reactive ability” (4) and is of obvious impor- National Strength and Conditioning Association Journal 18 tance for propulsion in sprinting. It is important to realize that reactive ability is considered to be a rela- tively independent strength quality (2). This means that ‘an athlete may have good leg power generally, but not necessarily in a SSC. Therefore, plyometric exercises that are SSC activities designed to develop reactive ability, play an important role in the training program for sprinters. ‘According to Schmidtbleicher (3), the SSC found in athletes in various sports can be classified as either Jong (> 350 milliseconds) or short (< 250 milliseconds), and are not closely related. This means that it may be possible for an athlete to have good power production ina slow SSC, such as a Sargent jump, but not neces- sarily in a fast SSC activity, such as a long jump take- off, and vice versa, ‘Therefore, itis important to select SSC exercises (plyometrics) carefully to ensure the duration of the cycle is similar to that demonstrated in a particular sport. In this way, training can be designed to be highly specific to the performance expected In the case of sprinting at top speed. elite athletes have been found to produce support times (end there- fore SSC times) of 80-100 milliseconds (4). As this involves a short SSC, the most specific piyometric exercises for a sprinter should involve comparable time. A study of top athletes who specialize in the jumping events revealed that the average support time for bounding was 270 milliseconds (1). Support times Volume 14, Number 4, 1992Figure 1. Bounding sequence for other common plyometric exercises were even longer, which indicates their relatively low specificity to sprinting at top speed. It should be acknowledged that despite the “slow- ness” of bounding, it is still more specific to sprinting than many other popular plyometric exercises, such as depth jumping, since it involves a one-foot take-off, a horizontal rather than vertical movement and can involve a running arm action. Conventional depth jumping for height lacks all of these features. Also, the support time in the acceleration phase of a sprint is considerably longer than when running at maximum speed (4). Therefore, bounding may be considered a specific exercise for the development of acceleration. Sprint Bounding Sprint bounding is a plyometric exercise that, as the name suggests, is a combination of sprinting and bounding. The objective is to gain long distances with ‘each bound as well as cover a prescribed distance in the shortest possible time. Not surprisingly, the result is a faster movement across the ground, with shorter support times than bounding, that is more similar to sprinting. Figures 1 and 2 were taken from a videotape of a sprinter performing bounding (Figure 1) and sprint Volume 14, Number 4, 1992 19 bounding (Figure 2) from the instant of takeoff to the instant of landing on the opposite foot. The time taken to execute one bound, was 0.36 seconds, whereas the corresponding time for the sprint bound was 0.24 seconds. Therefore, one rea~ son for the relatively high speed of sprint bounding is the shorter “hang” time, ‘While bounding usually involves landing on the heel, sprint bounding uses more “active” landings and a flat foot or ball-of foot contact with the ground. An analysis of the sprinter in Figures 1 and 2 revealed average support times of approximately 200 milisec- ‘onds for bounding and 130 milliseconds for sprint bounding. Therefore, it appears that sprint bounding uses relatively short SSC times, which enhance its specificity as a training exercise for sprinters. An additional advantage of this exercise is that it can be a useful technique drill as it encourages good knee lift complete extension of the take-off leg and a powerful arm action. Testing Testing athletes can be used for a variety of pur- poses. Sprint bounding can be conducted as a test to monitor the effects of training, and because of its sim ilarity to sprinting, may even'be a good indicator of National Strength and Conditioning Association JournalFigure 2. Sprint bounding sequence sprinting performance. Such a test was devised in the sprint bound index (SB), ‘The SBI is defined as the number of bounds com- pleted multiplied by the time needed to cover a pre- scribed distance. For example, the coach may ask an athlete to sprint bound for 30 meters. A possible result can be: SBI (30 meters) = bounds x time over 30 meters = 12.5 x 4.12 seconds = 51.5 The SBI is arranged so that the best result is achieved by giving equal emphasis to the distance of ‘each bound and the speed across the ground. The objective is to minimize the SBI score by minimizing both the number of bounds taken and the time to cover the total distance. In an attempt to support the above, an athlete was asked to cover the 30-meter distance first by sprinting for maximum speed, then by bounding for maximum distance on each bound, without concern for speed. The resulting SBI scores for these sprinting and bounding activities were inferior to the score achieved when performing sprint bounding. The SBI is not intended to be used to compare individual athletes because variations to such factors, as leg length and technique can influence results and make comparisons inappropriate. The most valuable National Strength and Conditioning Association Journal use of the SBI is to quantitatively monitor improve- ‘ments in sprint bounding ability for individual ath- letes. It is possible that as SBI scores improve, sprint- ing performance also will improve, although any such correlation has yet to be determined ‘As with any test, pre- and post-training results are only meaningful if the test is conducted with consis- tent standards. Although these can be devised by the coach, some recommendations are outlined below: = A’standing start is used. — As the foot on the start line breaks contact with the ground the stopwatch is started. This proce- dure eliminates the reaction time of the athlete responding to a starting signal — As the chest crosses the finish line the stopwatch is stopped. The time is recorded to the nearest 0.01 second. — The number of bounds are counted to the nearest half bound. ‘This may require some practice, but 2 half bound can be readily observed if the finish line splits the two feet. — The number of bounds are not counted by the performer. Ideally, a training partner waiting to be tested can count the bounds, — The coach operates the stopwatch for athletes being tested, This procedure ensures reliability of Volume 14, Number 4, 1992timing. The aceuraey of timing can be enhanced if the timer does not count the number of bounds. — Three trials are allowed for each athlete, with com- plete rest between efforts three minutes or more) The best result is retained for coach and athlete records. — An even and forgiving surface should be used to reduce the risk of injury. Sprint bounding is a highly specific and enjoyable plyometric exercise for sprinters. The SBI can be administered with minimal equipment, can be used to monitor training, and as with any testing, can provide motivation for athletes during training. @ References 1 Aura, O. and J.T, Viitasalo. 1989. Biomechanical Cheracteatics of Jimping, Int. J. Sport Biomech. 5:89 98, 2, Schmidtblecher, D. 1986. Strength and Strength Training First Elte Coaches Seminar. Ausralan Sports Commission, Canberra, Australia 3. Schmiaiblecher, D. 1990. Presentation given to the Nations! Strength and Conditioning Association, San Diego, CA. 4. Tidow G. 1990. Aspects of Strength Training in Athi. New Studies in Athletics. 1:93-110. Volume 14, Number 4, 1992 Get SERIOUS © CHAMPION ‘Some people see weight training as a hobby. They jump on the latest fad only to leave it when the next one ‘comes along, ‘And some sporting goods manufac- {urers view weight training in a similar light. They dabble with products that seldom outlast the fads. But at Champion Barbell Company, we take weight training seriously. Our products are engineered, tested and ‘manufactured for real power building and strength training, So it you's serious about weight train- ing, take a serious look at Champion. oan Plow Call tol-tree for your free Champion Buyers guide 1-800-527-7510 P.O. Box 7726 Dallas, Texas 75209 National Strength and Conditioning Association Journal