When I was younger, I always dreamt of slam-dunking a basket ball ring.

I was so obsessed with the idea that I began training as hard as I could to achieve my goal.

Every day when I returned home from school I would begin exercises to strengthen my legs muscles and make them strong enough to spring me high enough into the air.

The best form of training I fund to allow this was plyometrics.

Plyometrics is a type of exercise training designed to produce fast, powerful movements and improve the functions of the nervous system, generally for the purpose of improving your ability in a chosen sport.

The movements in plyometric training are very much based around the idea of contracting the muscle in rapid sequence, to increase strength, elasticity and innervation of a muscle and it’s surrounding tissues.

As a result you will be able to jump higher, run faster, throw farther or hit harder, depending on what muscles you work on.

Plyometric exercises use explosive movements to develop this muscular power and the training acts on the nerves, tendons and muscles to increase an athletes power output.

The ability to convert strength into speed is the main goal in plyometric training.

So, what sorts of exercises are involved in plyometric training???

Many exercises can include calf raises, rapid squats, step-ups, leg raises, push-ups, skipping, sprinting and boxing.

All exercises in plyometric training have to be done at a fast speed and at a rate where there is minimal rest between each rep.

The bad thing about plyometric training, however, is that your body is put at an increased risk of injury, due to the large forces generated during training and performance.

Flexibility is required to ensure your gains are not met with injury or other health issues.

In summary, plyometric training is a great way to develop strength and explosiveness, but people must have dedication and patience to achieve the best results.