Normally jumping, leaping, hopping, and bounding without weights, in a specific fashion, in order to maximize an athletes speed and strength in a short time. Plyometric exercises produce power used during a specific athletic activity like kicking a soccer ball or exploding (running) to space on a field. Plyometric exercises focus on increasing the power of the muscle to allow an athlete to react quickly in a strong burst during sporting activity. The dynamic power of the muscle is increased by the lengthening (eccentric) and shortening (concentric) muscle contractions specific to certain plyometric exercises. This increase in muscle power will help the athlete explode with rapid movement during sporting activity and quickness when coaching youth soccer players is the depth jump followed by lateral movement.

To accomplish this plyometric exercise, take 4, 12" cones and place them in a square, touching each other, 2 behind and 2 in front. This will form a 4 cone, compact barrier or hurdle. Set up about 10 of these 4 cone hurdles in a straight line about 2 feet apart on a soft surface like grass. After the last 4 cone barrier, place 10, small plastic disks about 6 yards apart, forming 2 lines of disks parallel to each other 3 yards apart one in front of the other. So you now have 10 hurdles in a line about 2 feet apart with five sets of disks, in pairs about 6 yards apart, side to side, and about 3 yards apart, one in front of the must run to each hurdle, stop dead in front of it, then with both feet together, jump over the hurdle, landing on the toes. The athlete continues this for all 10 hurdles. Once the athlete jumps over the last hurdle, he or she then sprints to the first disk to the right and stops dead with the right foot next to that disk, and then sprints to the opposite disks and again stops dead but this time with the left foot next to the disk. These runs continue from side to side until the athlete has reached the last disk. The athlete then jogs back to the first hurdle and starts again.

There are numerous variations for this set up such as having the athletes jump over the barriers from side to side or back to front, feet together before moving onto the next barrier; or on one foot only, alternating feet; or use 6 cones to increase the size of the barrier. Plyometric drills are only limited by a coaches' creativity and an athletes ability is started, it is important for the athlete to already be warmed up and not suffering from any leg or knee injury. Plyometrics will aggravate that type of injury. These are explosive exercises during which a coach must closely monitor the athletes. Monitor activity after about 6-8 sessions, 2 sessions per week. In some athletes, the results are more immediate and are very pronounced. Plyometrics works so long as the jumping, leaping, hopping, and bounding are done with a specific purpose in mind and are strictly controlled by the coach.