[i]Originally posted by ajjohnson[/i]
I perform the cmvj relatively quickly. I’ve read many places that it should be around 20% greater than static, so that’s one of the things that helped me become aware of my lack of elasticity.
Yeah…..you’re right. If you performed a really slow counter movement that might have helped explain things but seeing as that’s not the case, it looks like you do have some stretch-shortening issues.
The other is the fact that I can tj almost as far with a 40 ft. approach as I can with a full approach. With the short approach I feel much more powerful and explosive and with the full one it feels like I’m almost collapsing – like my legs just have no spring. I have no doubt that my tj technique could stand a lot of improvement, however I have actually been triple jumping for 3 or 4 years, so I can’t use that as an excuse.:)
This actually isn’t all that unusual for underdeveloped athletes or those with less than optimal technique. Combined with the other example though, it makes me think that there may be another problem.
The fact that you can’t turn around a fast eccentric countermovement in to a more explosive jump along with the fact that you triple jump worse with longer approaches (longer approaches ~ greater speed = greater eccentric loading upon landing) make me thing you have an eccentric strength deficit.
I’d suggest spending some time on fast eccentric strength development. This can be done a number of ways from extreme overload eccentric weight lifting to falling and catching yourself in a stiff position.
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