In the video clip below you will see a conservative vertical bounding series that will help your athletes increase their elastic strength for greater distance in the horizontal jumps. The series of drills, called the Pluto Series is presented by Irving “Boo” Schexnayder, former LSU assistant coach . Regarded as one of the world’s premier field event coaches, Coach Schexnayder currently serves as the Director of the Track and Field Academy, the educational branch of the US Track and Field and Cross Country Association.
Coach Schexnayder Pluto Series is designed to remediate vertical pushing mechanics. This series of drills is taken from his DVD that is designed to help you improve the performance of your athletes in the horizontal jumps. For more information about that DVD click the link Speed and Power Drills for the Horizontal Jumps.
The sequence begins with Right Leg Hops. The athlete will hop down the runway on his/her right foot and then hop into the pit landing on two feet. The hops should be small and conservative. Each ground contact features a heel to toe rollover action of the foot. In order to guarantee good pelvic alignment the other leg should be held slightly in front on the foot they are hopping on. This will lead to good swing leg mechanics. The athlete will repeat the sequence using the left leg.
The second exercise is call Double-Doubles. The athlete will hop twice on the right and then twice on the left. Repeat this right-right-left-left pattern until reaching the pit.
Next the athlete completes Medial Bounds. These are essentially side ways bounds. The athlete should have their shoulders parallel to the direction of travel, while keeping their foot perpendicular to the direction of travel. The exercise should completed hopping with the right foot and again with the left foot. In both cases the athlete should hop on their lead foot.
Laterals will comprise the final exercise in the Pluto Series. Laterals are the similar to Medial Bounds with the exception that the athlete will hop sidways on the their trailing leg rather than their lead leg.
The YouTube video has sound, so please make sure that you have your sound turned on and that you have access to the site. If you are watching in a school setting, lease note that some schools block access to YouTube.