Power skips are a plyometric exercise that involves a high, explosive skipping motion that aims to maximize height and speed.
The Power Skip is the first exercise in Military Movement Drill 2 that develops powerful single-leg vertical jumping and landing skills in preparation for more vigorous testing and combat activities.
Military Movement Drill 2 is a dynamic Preparation Drill for the Plyometric Movements Required in Conditioning Drill 3, obstacle course negotiation, terrain runs, and other multiplanar movements encountered in combat tasks.
There are two more exercises in Military Movement Drill 2:
Military Movement Drill 2, Exercise 1: Power Skip
Here is a breakdown of the exercise as it would be conducted in a formation.
Purpose: This exercise develops leg power, coordination, and jumping ability from a single leg. It also promotes a powerful extension from the ankle, knee, and hip.
Starting Position: Staggered stance with right foot forward.
Movement:
- Step with the left foot, then hop and land on the left leg, followed by the same action with the opposite leg.
- When the right leg is forward, the left arm swings forward, and the right arm is to the rear.
- When the left leg is forward, the right arm swings forward, and the left arm is to the rear.
Check Points:
- Start slowly and progress the speed and height of the skip throughout each 25-yard interval.
- Soldiers should gradually incorporate larger arm swings as they jump to get higher elevations. The arm swing is strong and smooth, with the forward arm at 90 degrees and the rearward arm relatively straight.
- The arm swing is from front to rear, not side to side, with the upper part of the forward arm reaching parallel to the ground as it swings to the front.
How to do Power Skips at Home
Performing the Power Skip exercise is relatively simple, but proper form is critical to getting the most out of the exercise. Here’s how you do it:
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
- Drive one knee towards your chest while simultaneously jumping off the opposite foot.
- Land softly on the ground and immediately perform the same movement with the opposite leg.
- Repeat, alternating legs each time.
Remember to keep your core engaged and your back straight throughout the exercise. Avoid leaning forward or backward, and use your arms to help generate momentum.
To get the best results, perform the Power Skip exercise for at least 30 seconds to 1 minute at a time, and gradually increase the duration as you get stronger.
Power Skip Exercise Tips
Power skips are one of my favorite cardio drills, which I love to add to any workout to burn up some calories, but they’re also great for a warm-up.
As a kid, you probably learned how to skip so that it can be very intuitive.
- To do power skips properly, take one knee up as your opposite arm reaches overhead, then switch to the other side.
Now, as you do this,
- You’re lengthening through your torso,
- Your abs are tight,
- You’re working your quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes; and
- You’re pushing on your foot.
This is low-impact, but as you feel comfortable with it, you will push off your toe, add a little hop so it becomes plyometric off the ground, and warm up that calf muscle simultaneously; then, pick up your speed and breathe.
During the power skips, you can move forward and backward or stand in place and burn them up.
Muscles Worked in Power Skip Exercise
Power Skip exercise is a full-body workout that targets multiple muscle groups simultaneously. The primary muscles worked include the following:
- Quadriceps: The quadriceps are the muscles on the front of your thighs. They’re responsible for extending your knee and lifting your leg.
- Glutes: Your glutes are the muscles in your buttocks. They’re responsible for hip extension, external rotation, and abduction.
- Hamstrings: The hamstrings are the muscles on the back of your thighs. They’re responsible for knee flexion and hip extension.
- Calves: Your calves are the muscles at the back of your lower legs. They’re responsible for plantar flexion.
- Core: Your core includes all the muscles in your abdomen, back, hips, and pelvis. They’re responsible for stabilizing your spine and pelvis during movement.
- Hip flexors: Your hip flexors are the muscles that connect your thighs to your pelvis. They’re responsible for hip flexion.
Power Skip exercise can help improve your overall physical fitness and athletic performance by targeting multiple muscle groups simultaneously.
Benefits of Power Skip Exercise
Power skips provide numerous benefits for your health and fitness, including:
Improved cardiovascular health:
- Power Skip exercise is a high-intensity exercise that can help improve your heart health and endurance.
- It can also increase your VO2 max, the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during exercise.
Increased strength and endurance:
- The Power Skip exercise can increase strength and endurance by targeting multiple muscle groups and help you perform better in other physical activities.
Better coordination and balance:
- The explosive movements of the Power Skip exercise can help improve your coordination and balance, translating to improved performance in sports and other activities requiring quick trends and direction changes.
Enhanced flexibility and agility
- The dynamic movements of the Power Skip exercise can help improve your flexibility and agility, hence helping reduce your risk of injury and improve your overall mobility.
Power Skip Exercise Variations
The Power Skip exercise has a variety of variations:
Primary Power Skips
- This standard version of the exercise as described above.
Single-Leg Power Skips
- This variation involves only performing the Power Skip exercise on one leg, then switching to the opposite leg; this will help improve your balance and stability.
Plyometric Power Skips
- This variation involves performing the Power Skip exercise while jumping as high as possible between repetitions; this will help increase your power and explosiveness.
Adding Power Skips into your fitness routine is an excellent way to target multiple muscle groups simultaneously and improve your overall health and fitness.
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