Effects of plyometric jump training on measures of physical fitness and sport-specific performance of water sports athletes: A systematic review with meta-analysis

Background: A growing body of literature is available regarding the effects of plyometric jump training (PJT) on measures of physical fitness (PF) and sport‐specific performance (SSP) in‐water sports athletes (WSA, i.e. those com‐ peting in sports that are practiced on [e.g. rowing] or in [e.g. swimming; water polo] water). Indeed, incoherent find‐ ings have been observed across individual studies making it difficult to provide the scientific community and coaches with consistent evidence. As such, a comprehensive systematic literature search should be conducted to clarify the existent evidence, identify the major gaps in the literature, and offer recommendations for future studies. Aim: To examine the effects of PJT compared with active/specific‐active controls on the PF (one‐repetition maximum back squat strength, squat jump height, countermovement jump height, horizontal jump distance, body mass, fat mass, thigh girth) and SSP (in‐water vertical jump, in‐water agility, time trial) outcomes in WSA, through a systematic review with meta‐analysis of randomized and non‐randomized controlled studies. Conclusions: PJT is more effective to improve measures of PF and SSP in WSA compared to control conditions involving traditional sport‐specific training as well as alternative training interventions (e.g. resistance training). It is worth noting that the present findings are derived from 26 studies of moderate‐to‐high methodological quality, low‐ to‐moderate impact of heterogeneity, and very low‐to‐moderate certainty of evidence based on GRADE.