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Plyometric jump training (PJT) is a training modality aimed at improving lower limbs’ explosive strength, one of the key determinants of technical execution in gymnastics; however, its effects in female gymnasts remain insufficiently investigated in the meta-analyses. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effects of supplementary PJT on different measures of vertical jump performance in female athletes participating in gymnastic disciplines compared with control groups undergoing routine gymnastics training. Five scientific databases and Google Scholar were searched according to PRISMA guidelines and the PICOS framework. The certainty of the evidence was evaluated using the GRADE approach. Eleven experimental studies (12 reports), selected from the 881 initially identified records, were included, with a total sample of 335 participants from rhythmic gymnastics (n = 155), gymnastics for all (n = 73), aerobic gymnastics (n = 63), and artistic gymnastics (n = 44). PJT produced moderate effects on improvements in CMJ (ES = 0.62, 95% CI = 0.20 to 1.04, p = 0.01, I2 = 41%), SLCMJ (ES = 0.68, 95% CI = −0.29 to 1.65, p = 0.094, I2 = 26), CMJFA (ES = 1.07, 95% CI = −1.30 to 3.43, p = 0.192, I2 = 67.4%), DJ (ES = 0.68, 95% CI = −0.50 to 1.86, p = 0.163, I2 = 68.6%), and SJ (ES = 0.64, 95% CI = −0.21 to 1.49, p = 0.103, I2 = 54.1%) compared with the control groups. The certainty of evidence for the meta-analyzed outcomes ranged from very low to low. PJT duration (≤7 vs. >7 weeks), total number of sessions (≤14 vs. >14 sessions), and frequency (≤2 vs. >2 sessions per week) did not significantly moderate the effects. PJT appears to be a practical and effective strategy for improving vertical jump performance in female gymnasts, although not all observed effects reached statistical significance. These findings support the inclusion of PJT as an effective complement to standard gymnastics practice while also highlighting the need for additional high-quality, discipline-specific research involving female gymnasts to refine optimal training parameters.
Sterkowicz-Przybycień et al. (Mon,) studied this question.