Florida Region of USA Volleyball

Jump TrainingIf you play volleyball on a team, or you undertake training on your own, you may develop sore legs from jump training to increase your vertical leap. Penn State University volleyball coach Chip Harrison includes jump training in his team training that consists of 20 to 30 high jumps done once or twice each week. Sore legs are a normal part of training -- if you can do 20 to 30 jumps without soreness, Harrison recommends adding more jumps, up to 150 per session.Soreness from PlayIn a standard volleyball game consisting of six players per team, each player jumps an average of 22 times, according to a study published in the 2004 issue of the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine. These dynamic jumps use your quadriceps and calf muscles, and the exercise may cause microscopic muscle tears -- this creates the feeling of soreness in your legs from playing volleyball and is called delayed onset muscle soreness. The tears are only temporary; they heal within days.InjuriesSome leg soreness from volleyball can point to a more serious injury. Anterior cruciate ligament injuries and patellar tendonitis are common in volleyball. These conditions often result in pain more than soreness; however, depending on the level of damage to your ligaments or tendons, you may only feel soreness. Neither injury heals on its own, especially if you continue to play volleyball, so if the soreness in your legs doesnt go away after a few days or becomes painful, consult your physician.Preventing SorenessYou can prevent sore legs from volleyball through proper strength training and preventive taping and bracing. Because your quadriceps and calves are so important in volleyball, include exercises such as lunges, calf raises and leg presses in your routine to strengthen those muscles. You may also need an ankle or knee brace to stabilize your joints; using athletic tape may also help support weak joints that can be damaged and lead to sore legs.

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