What is Reactive Strength?

What is Reactive Strength?

Reactive strength is the ability to rapidly produce force following an eccentric (lengthening) muscle action, allowing for quick, explosive movements like sprinting, jumping, and changing direction.

Table of Contents

• What is Reactive Strength?

• What Reactive Strength Actually Is?

• Mechanics of Reactive Strength

• How You Can Improve Reactive Strength for Your Typ …

  • Team Sports (Importance: 10/10)

  • Endurance Sports (Importance: 7/10)

  • Strength & Power Sports (Importance: 8/10)

  • Skill & Precision Sports (Importance: 7/10)

  • Combat Sports (Importance: 9/10)

  • Extreme & Action Sports (Importance: 10/10)

    • Individual anchor

What Reactive Strength Actually Is?

Picture a basketball player rebounding off the floor after landing or a sprinter propelling forward after each ground contact. The ability to efficiently absorb force and immediately generate power is reactive strength in action.

Reactive strength is crucial for movements that involve stretch-shortening cycles, where the body uses stored elastic energy to generate more force efficiently. Training this quality improves speed, agility, and explosiveness.

Mechanics of Reactive Strength

• Muscles Involved: Lower-body muscles (calves, quads, hamstrings, glutes) and core for stabilization.

• Type of Training: Plyometrics, depth jumps, sprint drills, and fast stretch-shortening cycle exercises.

• Where It’s Most Used: Sprinting, jumping, agility movements, rapid changes of direction.

• Components of Movement: Stretch-shortening cycle efficiency, elastic energy utilization, rapid force development.

How You Can Improve Reactive Strength for Your Type of Sport