Plyometrics and Explosive Power

By 4Football Staff · September 28, 2026 · 11 min read

How jump, bound and throw training builds explosive power for football, why landing comes before jumping, and how to progress safely from basic hops to depth jumps.

A lineman fires out of his stance, a safety closes ten yards on a pass, a receiver goes up over a defender at the back of the end zone. In each case, the play is decided by how much force an athlete can produce in a fraction of a second. Strength matters, because you need force to apply. Speed of force matters just as much, and that is what plyometrics are designed to train.

Plyometric training is popular, widely misunderstood, and easy to overdo. This guide explains what it is, why it works, how to build a sensible progression, and which mistakes cost players time and joints.

What plyometrics are

Plyometrics are exercises that load a muscle and tendon quickly, then ask it to reverse the movement just as quickly. Jumping, hopping, bounding and fast throwing are the common forms. The words you will hear coaches use are "reactive," "elastic" and "explosive," and they all describe the same idea: a very short contact with the ground or a very quick change from absorbing force to producing it.

Compare two jumps. In a slow squat jump, you sink down, pause, then push up. In a countermovement jump, you drop and drive up in one smooth motion. The second one is bigger, usually, because of what happens in the muscle and tendon on the way down.

The science in plain language

When you drop into a quick crouch before a jump, the muscles and tendons around your hips, knees and ankles lengthen under load. Tendons act somewhat like springs, storing energy, and the muscles also send reflex signals that help them fire. If the turnaround from lowering to rising is quick enough, you can use some of that stored energy and reflex help rather than starting from zero. This is the stretch-shortening cycle.

Two practical consequences follow.

• Ground contact time matters. A jump that lingers on the ground wastes the elastic return. Short, snappy contacts train the cycle; long, grinding ones train something else.
• The tendon needs time to adapt. Muscles adapt faster than tendons and connective tissue. A player who jumps into a high-volume plyometric program too fast can feel fine for a week and then develop sore tendons. This is why progression is the heart of the subject.

Power, strength and speed: how they fit together

Power is the rate of doing work, loosely force multiplied by velocity. An athlete can improve it by getting stronger (more force), by getting faster at producing force (more velocity), or both.

Plyometrics occupy the lower rows. They do not replace lifting; they sit on top of a base of strength. For the lifting side of the picture, our guide to squat, bench and power clean explains how those lifts feed power.

Are you ready for plyometrics?

Readiness is the question most articles skip. A common pattern in strength and conditioning programs is to check for a few basics before adding jumping.

1. Landing control. Can you land softly from a small hop, with hips back, knees tracking over the feet, and no wobble?
2. Basic strength. Can you perform bodyweight squats and lunges with good form, and are you working on loaded squats under supervision?
3. Medical clearance. Anyone with a history of knee, ankle, back or tendon trouble should check with a doctor or athletic trainer first.
4. Maturity and supervision. Younger athletes can do low-intensity plyometrics such as skipping, hopping and jumping games, and many programs include them. Intensity and volume should stay low and supervised. Heavy, high-intensity work such as high depth jumps is usually reserved for older, more experienced athletes. Always follow the guidance of qualified coaches.

Some texts offer strength benchmarks before depth jumps, such as being able to squat a multiple of body weight. Those rules of thumb vary and are debated, so treat them as one input, not a pass-fail test. A coach who watches you land will learn more than a number will.

A progression that makes sense

The usual order runs from low impact and low intensity to high. Skipping steps is where many players get hurt.

Step 1: landing mechanics

Before anything explosive, practice stopping. Small hops forward, backward and sideways, landing with soft knees and holding for two seconds. Step off a low box and land quietly. If the landing is loud, the athlete is not absorbing force well.

Step 2: basic jumps in place

Squat jumps, countermovement jumps, tuck jumps with modest height, and ankle hops. Contacts are brief, but the surface is level and there is no drop.

Step 3: jumps with horizontal travel

Standing broad jumps, repeated broad jumps, bounding (long strides alternating legs), and skipping for distance. These have clear football relevance because most football movement is forward.

Step 4: single-leg work

Single-leg hops, lateral bounds (also called skater jumps), and hurdle hops on one leg. Single-leg control is demanding, so reduce the volume.

Step 5: box jumps and depth jumps

Box jumps train the up phase: you jump onto a box and step down, which keeps landing forces moderate. A depth jump starts from stepping off a box and immediately jumping, which loads the system much harder. Coaches generally start with low boxes and short sets, and many athletes never need high boxes. More height does not equal more benefit; at some point you are only adding impact.

A hypothetical eight-week build

Imagine a sophomore who has lifted for a year but never done structured jump training. A coach might spread the progression like this, adjusting based on how the athlete moves.

Notice how little of that is dramatic. The first month looks almost boring, and that is the point. The tendons and the nervous system are being prepared for what comes later. An athlete who skips straight to week 7 might look impressive for a few days and then spend a month nursing sore shins or knees.

Myths worth dropping

• "More height always means more power." Past a point, a higher box only raises the landing load. A crisp, low jump with a fast takeoff trains the quality you want.
• "Plyometrics make you slower because they bulk you up." They are brief, low-volume work. They do not build size in any meaningful way, and they are one tool for speed, not a threat to it.
• "They are only for skill players." Linemen benefit from short explosive work too, which is why many programs include broad jumps and throws for the big men.
• "Kids should never do them." Hopping, skipping and jumping games are natural childhood movements. The concern is heavy, high-impact loading without supervision, not play.
• "If it hurts the next day, it worked." Muscle soreness can follow new work, but sharp pain or a joint that feels wrong is a warning, not proof of progress.

Upper-body and total-body power

Football players also need power through the trunk and arms.

• Medicine-ball throws. Chest passes, overhead throws and rotational throws against a wall or to a partner. Rotational throws are especially useful for the hips-to-hands chain used in blocking and throwing.
• Plyometric push-ups. Hands leave the ground at the top; clap versions are harder. Only attempt them if you can do solid regular push-ups and your wrists and shoulders are healthy.
• Kettlebell or dumbbell swings. Less a plyometric than a ballistic hinge, but they teach quick hip extension.
• Sled pushes and drives. Heavy sled work builds leg drive and is useful for linemen.

A lineman does not need to bound across a field to train explosiveness. Short, heavy pushes, jumps and throws may be more relevant to the job than long bounding runs.

How much is enough: contacts, rest and frequency

Plyometric volume is usually counted in foot contacts: each time a foot touches the ground during a jump or hop. Textbook guidelines for coaches typically suggest relatively modest numbers per session for beginners, increasing for experienced athletes, though sources differ. A rough way to think about it is that a well-designed session might include a few exercises with a handful of sets each, and the total is smaller than people expect.

Several practical rules matter more than a specific count.

• Quality over quantity. Each rep should be crisp. When jump height drops or contact time lengthens, stop the set.
• Long rests between sets. A common approach is a rest of at least 30 seconds up to a couple of minutes depending on the drill, with higher-intensity drills needing more. The goal is power, not conditioning.
• Do not combine it with fatigue. Plyometrics belong at the beginning of a session, right after the warm-up, rather than after heavy squats or a conditioning block.
• Space the sessions. One to two sessions per week is a common frequency, with at least a day or two between lower-body plyometric sessions. Your coach or strength staff may adjust this to the calendar.

An example week for a healthy high school or college athlete

This table is a simple illustration, not a prescription. Individual needs, ages and injury histories differ.

Agility work and plyometrics pair well, because both train quick, controlled foot contacts; for the cutting side, see Agility Drills for Football Players.

Position-by-position uses

• Linemen: short, heavy and forward. Medicine-ball chest throws, broad jumps, sled pushes, and lateral hops for the feet. The goal is a quick, strong first step and the ability to reset after contact.
• Running backs: jumps and bounds for acceleration, lateral bounds for cutting, and single-leg landings for balance.
• Receivers and defensive backs: vertical jumps, bounds, hops and reactive drills that mirror the stop-and-go movement of a route or a coverage break.
• Linebackers and tight ends: a mix. Broad jumps for acceleration, medicine-ball rotational throws for blocking and tackling, and lateral movement for coverage and pursuit.
• Quarterbacks: rotational throws and single-leg work, with care taken around the throwing shoulder. Quarterbacks have specific arm-care needs, discussed in Arm Care and Training for Quarterbacks.
• Kickers and punters: hops and single-leg work for balance and stiffness in the plant leg, with volume kept modest.

Measuring progress without gimmicks

You do not need a force plate to know whether the work is helping. A few simple, repeatable tests give a useful picture when they are done under the same conditions each time: a standing broad jump measured to the heels, a vertical jump measured with a chalk mark or a jump mat, and a short sprint time. Retest every several weeks, not every session, and compare an athlete with their own earlier numbers rather than with the player at the next locker. A drop in performance after a hard training block is common and often temporary; a drop that lasts, or comes with pain, is a signal to ease off and ask a coach or athletic trainer.

It also helps to film a few landings. Seeing your own knees drift inward on a landing is more persuasive than any lecture, and the footage tells a coach what to fix. Looking at body control and not just the tape measure keeps the program honest.

Surfaces, shoes and setup

Where you jump matters.

• Landing surface. A grass field, a rubber gym floor or a sprung floor is more forgiving than concrete. Very soft surfaces, such as thick foam mats, can slow ground contact and defeat the purpose of the drill.
• Footwear. Supportive athletic shoes with decent grip are standard. Check with your coach about what the team prefers.
• Box stability. Use boxes that will not tip or slide. Boxes made for jumping are the safe choice; a stack of random items is not.
• Space. Clear the area of obstacles and other players.

Common mistakes

• Starting too hard. Taking a new athlete straight to depth jumps is the classic error.
• Treating it as conditioning. Long, tiring sets train fatigue, not power.
• Poor landings. Knees caving inward or heels slamming down point to a need for earlier-stage work.
• Ignoring pain. Tendon soreness that lingers or builds across sessions needs rest and a conversation with a professional, not more jumping.
• Pairing with heavy fatigue. Doing plyometrics after a punishing practice raises injury risk.
• Chasing heights and distances. Jumping onto the highest box is a stunt. Jump height, speed off the ground and clean landings are the real metrics.
• Neglecting strength. Plyometrics sit on top of a base; the lifting basics in Strength Training for Football: The Core Lifts are where that base comes from.

Safety and common sense

Plyometric training puts repeated impact through joints and tendons, so basic safety rules apply. Warm up properly, stay within your fitness level, get qualified supervision if you can, and see a doctor or athletic trainer about any injury or persistent pain. If you are a parent evaluating a program for a young athlete, look for coaches who emphasize technique and landing before intensity. The right level of work depends on age, growth stage and experience, and it varies by program and state association rules, so confirm what applies to your team through your coach or athletic department. The high school directory is a good place to start finding programs near you, the college section covers the next level, and the Play section has ideas for recreational players who want jumping and throwing games without a formal program.

The short version

• Plyometrics train the ability to produce force quickly, using the stretch-shortening cycle.
• They sit on top of strength training; they do not replace it.
• Learn to land before you learn to jump.
• Progress from landings to basic jumps, then horizontal jumps, single-leg work and finally box and depth jumps.
• Keep volume modest, rests long and quality high; stop when form slips.
• Match the work to the position, and keep younger athletes at lower intensity with supervision.
• Treat lingering tendon or joint pain as a reason to rest and get advice.