One very common axiom amongst Strength and Conditioning Professionals and Athletic Performance Coaches is that the least flexible athletes usually produce the fastest 40-yard dash times. Flexibility, in this case specifically refers to posterior chain flexibility (PCF). This is usually measured by athletes ability to perform a sit-and-reach test. This train of thought has been widely accepted within the human performance professions, even though it is void of any scientific investigation or measured validity. The purpose of this study is to determine if there is a relationship between posterior chain flexibility using the sit-and-reach test and speed in the 40-yard dash. All test subjects were male between the ages of 18-22, and members of a Division I university football team. All 95 test subjects had participated in at least one semester of a strength and conditioning program designed by Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists. Similar of the study done by Johnson (2001), each athlete was placed in a group based on position, line of scrimmage groups (LOS), Skill group (receivers, cornerbacks, rover linebackers, whip linebackers, and safeties), Combo group (inside linebackers, tight ends, quarterbacks, tailbacks, fullbacks, and defensive ends), Specialist group (place- kickers, kick-off specialists, holders, and punters). Each test subject was tested in the 40-yard dash, the sit-and-reach flexibility test, as well as other tests for strength and power such as the bench press, front squat, push jerk, power clean, vertical jump, and agility tests. Body weight and height was also measured. This study used a simple linear regression on the data where the Sit-and-Reach test results were the dependent variable and the subjects timed results in a 40 yard dash was the independent variable. There appears to be no significant relationship between a low flexibility score and the sprint speed of an athlete for the entire group population. The results also show that there is no significant relationship between flexibility of the posterior chain and linear speed as measured in the 40-yard dash when looking at football players that fall under the Combo, Skill, or LOS position groups. There was however a significant relationship for the specialist group. The theory that the least flexible athletes usually produce the fastest 40-yard dash times is not true for those specific groups. / Ph. D.

Bakgrund: Idrott kan utföras i många olika former och av en bred population. I flera idrotter är det fördelaktigt att ha god spänst och/eller snabbhet. Flera olika fysiska faktorer har påverkan på snabbhet och spänst, däribland explosivitet och muskelstyrka. Plyometrisk träning (PT) är en träningsform där Stretch-shortening-cycle (SSC) utnyttjas. SSC beskrivs som en muskulärt förlängande (excentrisk) rörelse följt av en muskulärt förkortande (koncentrisk) rörelse som syftar till att träna explosivitet.  Syfte: Analysera vilken effekt plyometrisk träning har på spänst och snabbhet hos idrottare, jämfört med ordinarie idrottsträning samt förekomst av skador Metod: En systematisk litteraturstudie som utgår från databaserna PubMed, PEDro, Cochrane Library och Cinahl. Studiernas kvalitet granskades med TESTEX och tillförlitligheten enligt GRADEstud.  Resultat: Nio randomiserade kontrollerade studier inkluderades i litteraturöversikten. Studiekvalitén var mellan 8-12 poäng enligt TESTEX. Studiernas tillförlitlighet enligt GRADEstud var mycket låg (+). Studiernas resultat var varierande gällande signifikans för PT och dess effekt för spänst och snabbhet hos idrottare jämfört med kontrollgrupp. Ingen studie rapporterade skada i samband med PT. Konklusion: De studier som analyserades bedömdes ha, på grund av olikheter i intervention och resultat, en låg evidensgrad. PT har viss effekt på spänst och snabbhet hos idrottare jämfört med kontrollgrupp som utför ordinarie idrottsträning. Inga skador rapporterades i de inkluderade studierna. Fler homogena studier krävs för att klargöra PT´s effekt på spänst och snabbhet hos idrottare. / Background: Sports can be performed in many forms and is being performed by a wide population. In different sports it’s beneficial to have good jumping ability and to be fast. Many physical factors affect the ability to jump and sprint, where muscle strength and explosiveness are two of them. Plyometric training (PT) is a training form that utilizes the stretch-shortening-cycle (SSC). SSC is an eccentric muscle contraction followed by concentric contraction of the same muscle that aims to train muscle explosiveness.    Objective: Evaluate the effect of plyometric training on jumping ability and sprinting within athletes compared with athletes only performing ordinary sport training.  Method: A systematic review. The search was performed on the databases PubMed, PEDro, Cochrane Library and Cinahl. The included studies quality was examined with TESTEX and the reliability with GRADEstud.  Results: Nine randomized controlled trials were included. The quality of the studies varied between 8 to 12 points. The reliability, examined with GRADEstud, was deemed very low (+). The effect of PT on jumping and sprinting for athletes compared with the control groups varied. None of the studies reported injuries associated with PT. Conclusion: The studies included had, due to differences in intervention and results, a low level of evidence. PT has a certain effect on jumping ability and sprinting for athletes compared with athletes only performing ordinary sport training. No injuries were reported by the studies included. More homogeneous studies are required to clarify the effect of PT on jump ability and sprint in athletes.