1. Introduction
’ explosive strength and jump/leap, ’ explosive
CONTRACTION
Background: Explosive strength is essential for rhythmic gymnasts’ performance. It has been suggested that core stability (CS) and plyometric training can enhance athletes’ explosive strength. Nevertheless, there is some uncertainty about the effects of integrated core and plyometric training (CPT) programs on rhythmic gymnastics (RG) performances. Purpose: to evaluate the effects of an integrated functional CPT program on young rhythmic gymnasts’ explosive strength and jump/leap performance. Method: We recruited 44 young (age = 10.5 ± 1.8 years old; peak height velocity, PHV = 12.2 ± 0.6 years old) female rhythmic gymnasts and randomly allocated them into a control group (CG) and an experimental group (EG). Pre and post-intervention, the explosive strength of both groups was assessed using countermovement jump (CMJ) and single-leg CMJ (SLCMJ) tests, conducted using a force platform, and expert RG judges evaluated their performance of RG-specific jumps. Before the post-test, the EG (Strength is among the main physical capacities that have been found to contribute to performance in rhythmic gymnastics (RG) [The specific manifestations of strength in RG are strength-endurance and explosive strength [RG judges observe and qualitatively assess jumps/leaps to determine their validity [In RG movements, isometric force plays a critical role in the pre-activation of the muscle before a contraction of the stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) [Plyometric training (PT) improves athletes’ explosive strength and jumping ability [In order to reach the top level of RG performance, it is fundamental to begin intensive training at a very young age, as this is the ideal time to start to learn and perform complex gymnastics skills [Some necessary RG attributes can be developed simply by practicing regular gymnastics routines. However, PT seems likely to facilitate the further progression of athletes who have already reached a certain level of force and speed [CS training protocols improve explosive strength and jump performance in RG and artistic gymnastics [