Learning to fly or walk in the sky

Whatever you wish to call it, Michael Jordan’s famous leap is pure magic. Is someone born to fly? Or can one learn it like any other skill?

For a nation that’s basketball crazy (tell me otherwise, I had two serious board meetings that went awry only because the directors were more glued to the set watching the Ateneo games), any technique that will improve chances to excel in the game is great news.

Kirk Collier, American training coach of PBA team Red Bull, can’t stop talking about a technique that does just that. It can make any ordinary lad a basketball star. It’s called plyometrics. Just like Pilates, this is not exactly a new science since athletes have been practicing this even before the ’60s.

Here in Manila, it’s the latest athlete’s buzzword. And though Kirk applies it to train good basketball players, other athletes, like my friend Raul Banzon, tap it for other purposes. The track and field athlete is setting up a plyometrics center in a sports camp in Fort Bonifacio. There, the technique will be used to enhance sports skills for tennis, track and field, softball, badminton and golf, among others.

Plyometrics are exercises where the muscle is stretched before it is contracted. A good example is a push-up with a clap in between each push-up. Those who want to improve their athletic performance move from mere strength training to power training.

It is said that whether your objective is to accelerate faster, hit the ball harder, run around the court more quickly, jump higher or throw farther, you have to learn to generate the highest possible force in the shortest possible time.

Kirk believes that plyometrics is the best way to improve power. Here, athletic power does not only refer to the strongest but also the fastest. To improve your power and performance, you have to learn how to generate the highest possible force in the shortest possible time.

Hence, it is vital that one first develops a high level of strength before starting plyometrics training. This will increase the potential for peak power performance.

Kirk believes that Filipinos can develop NBA-caliber players with the proper training. "Look at all those Fil-Am boys who excel now. They are of the same genetic make-up as that of the locals, but people believe that the nutrition they got in the US was their advantage. The real advantage of the Fil-Am boys is how they were trained and prepared for basketball," he asserts.

He admits that good levels of strength, flexibility, core strength and endurance create a good fitness foundation for an aspiring basketball star. What local training normally lacks though, in his opinion, are those that enhance speed, power, agility and dynamic movement coordination. All of which are addressed by plyometrics.

When we visited Kirk in his Mandaluyong gym, he showed us how simple plyometrics exercises can be. These does not mean though that everyone will immediately benefit from plyometrics training. Here are a few general guidelines:

• A solid strength base is required before starting a plyometrics program. Rule of thumb is you should be able to squat twice your body weight or leg press 2.5 times your weight.

• It is not recommended for those younger than 16 years old, unless a qualified coach who will supervise the training believes otherwise.

• Two sessions of plyometrics per week are ample, three maximum.

• Warm-up is crucial. Spend 10 minutes skipping rope or jogging, followed by five- to 10-minute stretching.

• Plyometrics should be done on a soft surface such as grass or synthetic running track.

• Rest completely between sets, at least three to five minutes.

• Each exercise should be performed with maximum speed, effort and technique.

• Try to keep your torso erect during movements to prevent undue strain on the lower back.

• Try to land on your full foot rather than the heel or toe to prevent bone and joint injuries.

Kirk gave us an orientation on various apparatuses used in a plyometrics program, but there are some simple exercises that can easily be done. The dynamics of a plyometric jump can be compared to the stored elastic energy of a quickly stretched rubber band that is suddenly released.

For all exercises, concentrate on jumping as high as you can and "exploding off the ground as soon as you land."

• Two-foot ankle hops: With feet together and remaining in one place, hop up and down using only your ankles and calves.

• Rim jumps: Standing under a basketball rim, jump up touching the net or rim with alternate hands.

• Box-to-box jumps: Place two boxes that will support your weight about three feet apart. Standing on one box, step off to the ground and immediately jump back up to the other box. Turn around and repeat.

• Jump over object: To develop quick foot power movements and lateral speed, Kirk asks trainees to jump sideways with feet together over an object such as a cone. The sideway jumps over an object should be done quickly and continuously for 10 to 15 times in a set (three to four sets recommended).

I learned that learning to fly, after all, is pretty much the same as learning to walk. You cannot rush the skill. You have to build the foundation by having the core fitness requirements for the game. You have to have the passion to train.

Yes, Pinoys can be great basketball players. In fact, Kirk believes in this so much that he has foregone any ambition to set up a gym or training facility in the US. He warns me that he never stops talking, but what I see is a person with a passion to make great athletes out of ordinary lanky lads through explosive and disciplined training.

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E-mail mylene@goldsgym.ph for questions and comments.