Short-Term Plyometric Mesocycle Improves Vertical Jump Performance in Competitive Taekwondo Athletes: A Single-Group Pre-Post Study with Concurrent Coach-Prescribed Strength Training
Using a single-group pre-post design, this study examined the short-term effects of a mesocycle focused on plyometrics conducted alongside the team’s usual strength training on squat jump (SJ), countermovement jump (CMJ), and drop jump (DJ) performance in competitive taekwondo athletes. Ten male athletes (19.57 ± 0.98 years) completed an 8-week program during the general preparation phase; strength work proceeded as part of the team routine and was not investigator-controlled or logged. Pre-post testing quantified jump height in SJ, CMJ, and DJ using a validated optical system. Reactive metrics (ground contact time [GCT] and the reactive strength index [RSI]) were obtained for the DJ only. Paired-samples analyses showed short-term improvements in jump height across tests: SJ (pre: 38.13 ± 4.69 cm; post: 41.97 ± 5.01 cm; +10.1%), CMJ (pre: 40.93 ± 5.86 cm; post: 44.50 ± 6.25 cm; +8.7%), and DJ (pre: 32.77 ± 4.96 cm; post: 36.21 ± 4.00 cm; +10.5%). In the DJ, improvements included greater jump height and shorter GCT, which together yielded a higher RSI, indicating enhanced fast stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) execution. These findings suggest that, within an ecologically valid combined-practice context, a short plyometric mesocycle may support near-term gains in jump performance, with reactive strength benefits evident in the DJ. Causal inference is limited because strength training occurred concurrently and was not controlled.
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