How to Do Lateral Plyometric Jumps: Techniques, Benefits, Variations Menu Verywell Fit Nutrition Weight Management Nutrition Facts Nutrition Basics Diets Meal Plans Meal Delivery Services View All News Fitness and Nutrition What to Buy How We Test Products Fitness Gear Nutrition Products Tools Recipe Nutrition Calculator Weight Loss Calorie Goal BMI Calculator Body Fat Percentage Calculator Calories Burned by Activity Daily Calories Burned Pace Calculator About Us Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Search Beginners How to Do Lateral Plyometric Jumps Proper Form, Variations, and Common Mistakes By Elizabeth Quinn Elizabeth Quinn Elizabeth Quinn is an exercise physiologist, sports medicine writer, and fitness consultant for corporate wellness and rehabilitation clinics. Learn about our editorial process Updated on September 21, 2020 Medically reviewed Verywell Fit articles are reviewed by board-certified physicians and nutrition and exercise healthcare professionals. Medical Reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research. Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates. Learn more. by Erin Pereira, PT, DPT Medically reviewed by Erin Pereira, PT, DPT Erin Pereira, PT, DPT, is a board-certified clinical specialist in orthopedic physical therapy. Learn about our Medical Review Board Print Verywell / Ben Goldstein Targets: Power, agility Equipment Needed: Line or obstacles Level: Advanced Lateral plyometric jumps are advanced exercises that can be used to develop power and agility. While most people focus on forward motion, it's important to include exercises that generate power and stability during lateral motion exercises as well. This benefits a wide range of athletes. Before doing the lateral plyometric jumps, a good place for athletes to begin building lower body power is by doing simple agility drills (such as ladder drills and dot drills) then slowly build up to tuck jumps. Other good additions to the plyometric routine include all-out sprints, stair running/bounding, and burpees. These drills are used by coaches for athletic training. Benefits Adding any sort of side-to-side movements to your training is crucial. Lateral movements not only improve strength, stability, and coordination, they also help reduce the risk for sports injuries by enhancing balance and proprioception through the whole body and improving overall hip, knee, and ankle joint stability. Lateral drills also help build more balanced strength in the muscles of the lower body, including the hip abductors and adductors. Lateral drills improve sports performance for athletes who frequently, or abruptly, change direction, cut, or pivot. Specifically, those who play field and court sports—such as soccer, basketball, football, rugby, and tennis—as well as skiers, skaters, gymnasts, and even rock climbers, can benefit from adding side-to-side agility drills to their training routine. Plyometric movements are one of the easiest and most effective ways for athletes to generate and increase power. The lateral plyometric jump is one exercise that primarily uses an athlete's body weight to generate power. How to Do Lateral Plyometric Jumps Only perform this exercise after a thorough warm up. You will want to begin with nothing more than a line on the floor until you are comfortable with side-to-side jumping. With feet no more than hip-width apart, bend your knees to squat straight down. Keep your weight on your heels. Shift weight from heels to toes as you begin your jump, quickly push upward and sideways toward the other side of the line. Land softly and absorb the shock by squatting deeply. Repeat jumping back and forth over the line while keeping your shoulders and hips square and facing forward. You can vary your landing so that you land and rebound on both feet at once, or land on one foot first and rebound with a short double-step. Perform for 30- to 60-second intervals. In a workout, rest for 60 to 90 seconds, then repeat for three sets. Or, add them to a circuit training routine. Common Mistakes Avoid these errors so you can get the most out of this exercise and avoid strain or injury. Not Prepared This is an advanced plyometric exercise that should only be practiced after someone has a good level of strength and coordination. Prior to doing lateral plyometric jumps, athletes should easily be able to complete ladder drills (jumping forward/backward and side/side over low barriers). Next, they should be able to easily complete forward plyometric jumps, such as tuck jumps. Hard Surface Avoid doing this exercise on a hard surface (such as concrete) which is tough on the joints. Practice on carpet, grass, sand, hardwoods, or a gym floor for best results. No Warmup Do not go into this exercise cold. Be sure to complete a full warmup for 10 minutes or more to get your blood circulating and to limber up. Athletes should do a sport-specific warmup. Insufficient Recovery You should only do this drill two to three times per week, allowing at least a full day off between sessions. This gives the muscles time to recover, repair, and build. Poor Landing Technique You must learn safe landing technique to prevent injury. Land softly on the toes and roll to the heels, which helps dissipate the force of impact. Avoid any twisting or sideways motion at the knee. Modifications and Variations You can vary the speed and height of the jumps depending on the fitness level of the athletes. Need a Modification Practice clearing the line with your feet higher and higher, land softly, and spring back quickly. Once you are comfortable, increase the size and height of the obstacle you are jumping over. Add a few inches at a time as you improve. Up for a Challenge Increase the difficulty by performing one leg hops. This will develop power, strength, and stability. Jumping, landing, standing, and squatting on one leg will help build balance and stability. Safety and Precautions Plyometric jumps should only be done if you are well-rested and injury free. Children (before puberty) and those over 240 pounds should only do low-intensity and low volume plyometric drills. Do not do these drills if you have not fully prepared with the prerequisites and are adept with proper landing techniques. These workouts should always be supervised. As high-impact activities, they should be avoided in pregnancy and by anyone with joint or muscle injuries. Try It Out Incorporate this move and similar ones into one of these popular workouts: Agility drills for athletes Plyometric exercises to prevent knee injuries Plyometric jump training How to Do Box Jumps 2 Sources Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Riva D, Bianchi R, Rocca F, Mamo C. Proprioceptive Training and Injury Prevention in a Professional Men's Basketball Team: A Six-Year Prospective Study. J Strength Cond Res. 2016;30(2):461-475. doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000001097 Davies G, Riemann BL, Manske R. Current Concepts of Plyometric Exercise. Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2015;10(6):760-786. By Elizabeth Quinn Elizabeth Quinn is an exercise physiologist, sports medicine writer, and fitness consultant for corporate wellness and rehabilitation clinics. 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