Mark Ottobre argues that stability, not speed or strength, is what unlocks power in plyometric training. He uses an eccentric squat test to measure the gap between what you can lower versus lift: elite athletes handle 40% more weight eccentrically, mid-range athletes 20% more, and very fast athletes sometimes just 10% or less. This ratio tells you where to focus your training.
Thing with plyometric training, it's easier to get someone who's fast strong than it is get someone who's strong fast. The biggest vector of change will happen with stability, number one. So if you get someone more stable, they're going to express more power. You failed your stability test, right? Right. And it's not saying that you're a bad athlete, you're probably a sensational athlete, it's just that you're not stable. So getting stable, you're going to be more explosive. Next thing, once you checkbox that, how strong are you? And if we wanted to be like real OCD about it, we could do our test, which is basically your eccentric squat test, where we're looking at the ratio of what your concentric to eccentric force is. If you're very strong, you're you're going to have a 40% higher eccentric ability. Basically, if you can squat 100 kilos, then eccentrically you'd be able to— if you're at the top end of strength, that means you need more speed, you'd be eccentrically be able to handle 140 kilos. Right, that makes sense, right? But if you're more in the mid, you're going to be around 120, like 20%, because eccentrically you're always going to be stronger. And if you're super fast and you get stronger, then you're going to be around like a 10% to 0%. So, and depending where you're at in the cycle
