Effects of Drop Jump Training from Different Heights and Weight Training on Vertical Jump and Maximum Strength Performance in Female Volleyball Players
Sotiropoulos, Konstantinos; Smilios, Ilias; Barzouka, Karolina; Christou, Marios; Bogdanis, Gregory; Douda, Helen; Tokmakidis, Savvas P.
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 37(2):p 423-431, February 2023. | DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000004272
PURPOSE:
To compare the effects of drop jump (DJ) training from different drop heights and weight training on vertical jump and maximum strength performance.
PROCEDURES:
Fifty-five female volleyball players were randomly and equally allocated to:
1. Control group (volleyball training, CG).
2. Volleyball and weight training group (WG).
3. Volleyball, weight, and drop jump training groups.
One section of the drop jump training group 3 performed DJ training from the
optimal drop height, i.e., the height that elicited the highest ratio of jump height to
contact time (OG).
A second section did drop height 25% higher than the optimal (HG).
A third section did drop height 25% lower than the optimal (LG).
Drop jump and weight training were performed 1–2 times per week for 8 weeks for a total of 13 sessions.
CONCLUSIONS:
After training, vertical jump performance improved by 3.6–17.4% in the OG and the HG compared with the LG, WG, and CG.
Drop jump height from drop heights 20–70 cm increased by 10.0–20.2% for the OG and the HG, while reactive strength index increased 19.6–33.9% only in the HG compared with the CG.
Half-squat maximum strength was increased in all experimental groups by 17.4–19% compared with the CG with no differences observed among them.
The use of the optimal height or a moderately higher drop height by 25% for DJ training, combined with weight training, seems to be the most beneficial option to improve vertical jump and reactive strength index in female volleyball players.
IN PLAIN ENGLISH:
All three groups played volleyball training, so that factor is out of the picture, thus look at the strength training and drop jump training for the answer:
The two groups that did strength training improved strength in the half squat because, well, they did strength training. That is a no brainer.
The one group that did drop jump training improved due to the fact they did drop jumps, especially those that did them form either an optimal or higher drop height compared to a low height. Pretty much another no brainer.