In a previous post we talked about repeated effort jumps. These jumps were done off two legs. The question comes up, can repeated effort jumps be done off one leg? After all, many sport skills involve levering off one side of the body or having only one leg in contact with the ground at a time.
The answer is that yes, repeated effort jumps can be done off one leg. However, unlike single effort jumps where the athlete lands on both feet with repeated effort jumps they will be landing on one leg and then exploding again off the same leg. This increases the stress that the athlete experiences.
This means that some guidelines need to be in place before the athlete can safely incorporate these into their training:
- Be able to back squat 1-1.5 times body weight (males would be higher).
- Be able to split squat .75-1 time body weight.
- Be able to safely, correctly, and consistently land properly during jumps (i.e. no varus or valgus movement at the knees).
- Be able to safely execute depth jumps (vertical jumps) or standing triple jumps (horizontal jumps)
Once an athlete has progressed to the points listed above, they can begin incorporating single leg repeated effort jumps.
The progression for these jumps will follow the same progressions as if the athlete is doing them off two legs. For vertical repeated effort jumps the athlete will begin with the jump and reach and then progress to the tuck jump. There will need to be a focus on making sure that the athlete is landing properly and is balanced and in the proper position when they land.
For horizontal repeated effort jumps, the athlete will begin with ankle hops. Next the athlete will progress to hops. Hops over obstacles will be next.
