In most track events, especially those involving any kind of long distance, the winner is the one who slows the least. This means the top runner must be more efficient than the others. In this kind of situation, Oscar Pistorius, a double amputee sprinter from South Africa, has the lead over athletes who still have both of their legs. His prosthetics are able to accumulate and return up to thirty percent more energy than natural extremities. This allows him to not slow down as much during the race, using the extra efficiency to pull ahead. This shows that energy return in running economy and speed is paramount. It makes sense, then, that every athlete who wants to jump higher should be asking this question: 'How can I develop this ability in my vertical jump training and increase my performance?' What is energy return and how it is developed? Thinking of a 'muscle spring' is one way to describe energy return. But a spring is not about generating force. Think of a weight on top of a spring. It's completely still. A spring alone cannot produce energy; it can only store and return it. When you apply force to the weight and release it, the spring will keep the force in its coils and send it back when let go. While some of the energy is returned, not all of it is; some is lost as heat. But the more stiff the spring, the less energy which will be lost, and consequently the more efficient the spring. It is pretty much the same for the human body except of course our springs are made of muscle and tendon, not steel. As the muscle and tendon store and return energy, the stiffer the muscle "spring", the better an athlete's speed and effectiveness. google_ad_client = "pub-2311940475806896"; /* 300x250, created 1/6/11 */ google_ad_slot = "0098904308"; google_ad_width = 300; google_ad_height = 250;
