The article is right on the money about 90%. However, the author clearly hasn't really tried the Jumpsoles Proprioceptor plugs. I've done the DARD, and while it's a decent way to create simple resistance for your dorsiflexors and tibialis anterior muscles, it's limited in that it's an open kinetic chain exercise - which means that your muscles are moving the resistance without any ground contact. In the real world, those muscles ARE in contact with the ground powering you up off of it. For jumping improvement any exercise you do is best done with ground contact, because it's the most sports specific and realistic resistance on your jumping muscles. Foot to ground contact exercises are known as closed kinetic chain exercises.
You want to build dorsiflexors and tibialis anterior muscles for jumping? It's best done by putting body weight on them. Closed kinetic chain. Can you load all of your body weight, say, 150-200 lbs on a DARD? NO. But with Jumpsoles Proprioceptors you CAN load all of your body weight AND MORE if you want using dumbells or a weight belt. The ankle inversions and eversions found in the Proprioceptor manual are the most intensive exercises ever devised for this largely overlooked muscle group - the dorsiflexor and tibialis anterior. Hands down, the Jumpsoles Proprioceptors are the best closed kinetic chain dorsiflexor building tool around!
http://www.jumpusa.com/p14.htm
Plus, the idea of toe flexor strengthening mentioned in the article - JumpSoles Proprioceptors are hands down the best tool to strengthen the toe flexors. You have full access to your entire bodyweight and more to resist against your toes. Again, check out the page
http://www.jumpusa.com/p14.htm
There's nothing on the market that does what they do: Don't knock the JumpSoles Proprioceptors baby!
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