Improving Explosive Performance with Myontec MShorts

Lower-limb explosiveness is key performance factor in sport, underpinning jump height, rapid changes of direction, and repeated high-intensity actions during game. In a recent study done with 22 elite junior badminton players controlled trial setting, hop tests were used as one practical method to assess this explosiveness, alongside measures of jump performance and neuromuscular function. While hop tests provide valuable insight into explosive capacity, the study highlights that explosiveness and jump height are strongly influenced by neuromuscular coordination and symmetry, the factors that can be specifically targeted through biofeedback from Myontec EMG shorts and sleeves.

Single-leg hops is a plyometric drill that helps in developing power, simultaneously improving balance & stability. This exercise helps in coordination between ankle extension, knee extension, and firing of glutes to optimize power and balance. Picture: Geeks on feet.

Hop testing as a measure of explosiveness

Hop tests offer a reliable and sport-relevant way to evaluate lower-limb explosive capacity. By assessing unilateral hopping performance, coaches can identify side-to-side differences that may indicate functional asymmetries in force production or control. These asymmetries are common in junior athletes due to handedness, stroke mechanics, and ongoing growth and maturation.

However, hop test outcomes alone do not fully explain explosive performance. Similar hop distances or times can be achieved through different neuromuscular strategies, some efficient and repeatable, others costly and fatigue-prone. This highlights the need to complement hop testing with tools that capture the underlying neuromechanical processes.

Why Myontec MShorts and EMG biofeedback changes the outcome

The study provides novel evidence that targeted neuromechanical training focused on reducing lower-limb functional asymmetries can significantly enhance explosive performance. Central to this approach is the use of Myontec MShorts as EMG biofeedback tool, which allows real-time assessment of muscle activation patterns during jumping and hopping tasks.

By visualizing muscle contribution and timing, Myontec MShorts helps athletes and coaches:

• Identify inefficient or asymmetrical muscle activation

• Improve coordination between dominant and non-dominant limbs

• Optimize braking and propulsion strategies

• Reinforce more symmetrical and efficient force production

This biofeedback-driven approach supports meaningful improvements in jump mechanics, not just increased effort.

Key findings from the controlled trial

Following the intervention, the experimental group demonstrated significant post-intervention improvements in key markers of explosive performance, including:

• Increased jump height

• Improved reactive strength index (RSI)

• Higher peak power output

Importantly, no comparable improvements were observed in the control group, confirming both the efficacy and specificity of the neuromechanical training protocol. These results indicate that reducing functional asymmetries through targeted intervention leads to measurable gains in explosive capacity.

Metric	Experimental Group with MShorts	Change	Control Group without EMG biofeedback	Change
Jump Height (cm)	31.21	7,7%8	21.01	1,7%
Reactive Strenght Index (RSI)	2.75	26,7%	1.68	-5,1%
Peak Power (W)	7973.06	6,4%	5168	3,6%
Stiffness (N/m)	36,234.0	38,2%	21,955.27	-56,7%

 Results showing improved explosive performance with Myontec MShorts.

Practical implications to improve explosive performance with Myontec MShorts

This study reinforces the idea that lower-limb explosiveness is not solely a product of strength or volume-based plyometric training. Instead, it is strongly influenced by neuromuscular coordination and symmetry. Hop tests remain a valuable assessment tool, but when paired with Myontec Mshorts and EMG biofeedback, they become part of a more powerful system for diagnosing limitations and guiding effective jump development.

For elite players, improving explosive performance means training smarter, developing efficient, symmetrical, and repeatable force production that translates directly to on-court performance.

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Read the original article Gepfert Mariola, Functional Asymmetries and Force Efficiency in Elite Junior Badminton: A Controlled Trial Using Hop Test Metrics and Neuromuscular Adaption Indices, Institute of Sport Sciences, Academy of Physical Education in Katowice, Poland. Published in Applied Sciences in July 2025. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/15/8450