Ballistic Training

Ballistic Training

Ballistic training offers practitioners with a unique high velocity training mode to improve biomechanical qualities within their athletes, allowing the concentric component of a movement to be fully accelerated beyond the end point of a normal rep range. The high variety of ballistic training modes covers the strength-speed, speed-strength and high velocity components of Hill’s force-velocity curve. Such a wide training spectrum has resulted in many conflicting training recommendations around load selection and training specifics when implementing ballistic based training.

Therefore, the aim of this short course is to :

• Introduction to the concept of ballistic training and its multiple training forms
• Explain the performance enhancing benefits of ballistic training and its relativeness to Hill’s force-velocity curve
• Explore the research literature on loaded barbell squat jumps and their performance benefits, programming and periodisation in practice
• Explore the research literature on hex-bar squat jumps and their comparison to loaded barbell squat jumps in practice
• Explain the performance benefits, programming and periodisation of hex-bar jumps in practice
• Explore the research literature on bench throws and their performance benefits, programming and periodisation in practice
• Explain how bench throw performance can be enhanced with advanced post activation potentiation training methods
• Explore the research literature on medicine ball throw-based training and its high transferability to sports performance and its relationship to Hill’s force-velocity curve
• Explain the performance benefits, programming and periodisation of medicine ball throw-based training in practice
• Explain how medicine ball throw-based training can be integrated with complex / contrast-based training with the aim of enhancing power performance in practice

Upon completion of this course, practitioners will have a deeper understanding of ballistic training within real-world practice, and how ballistic training can be implemented to improve biomechanical qualities in athletes.