Explosive bounding exercises are a great way to add power and speed to an athletes program. Try using explosive exercises in the warm up, here is how to add speed and power into your routine.
The Purpose of Warming Up
Warm up drills designed to increase body temperature, improve blood flow to the muscles, improve body awareness, stimulate the nervous system, create a greater range of motion in the muscles needed for the training session and decrease the risk of injury.
Warming up for the daily training should include general and specific exercises to help the athlete prepare for the training session but can also be used to improve the five bio-motor abilities.
• Strength
• Speed
• Endurance
• Flexibility
• Coordination
Daily Warm Up Progression
The warm up routine will start with general movements and progress to event specific preparation. Athletes start with general exercises and flexibility then advance to more specific preparation. The exercises move from lower intensity controlled activities to higher intensity dynamic elements.
Common Warm Up Elements
Dynamic flexibility
Hurdle mobility
Sprint drills
Plyometrics
Medicine ball throws
Event specific drills (speed, strength or endurance)
Warm Up Phases
Designing the start of a practice session for athletes includes warm up drills to prepare for the activities of the training session. The warm up exercises are organized into three phases.
Phase One – Low Intensity Exercises and Flexibility (4-6 minutes)
The start of the warm up is active with low intensity activities, such as arm circles, easy skipping, or walking toe touches. The initial exercises are simple and controlled; focusing on raising the body temperature slowly and developing a full range of motion from head to toe. The exercises are stationary or up to 30 meters in length. The recovery between exercises is about 10-20 seconds and the first phase of the warm up is about 3-5 minutes.
Phase Two – High Intensity Exercises (3-5 minutes)
Then the general activities will increase intensity and speed. Athletes will advance from the initial low intensity active exercises to more dynamic movements, such as A-skip, high knee running, bounding, or medicine ball throws. The exercises during the second phase of the warm up range from 20-40 meters, with a walk back recovery.
Phase Three – Event Specific Exercises (5-10 minutes)
The final phase of the warm up is event specific preparation activities. Coaches can add specific elements to the final phase of the warm up to develop speed, strength, or technique.