The theory of plyometric exercise was introduced by Soviet Jump Coach Yuri Verhoshanski in 1967. Plyo comes from the Greek word pleythein, which means to increase. Plyo is the Greek word for "more", while metric means "to measure". The practical definition of plyometrics is a quick powerful movement involving a prestretching or countermovement that activates the stretch-shortening cycle. The purpose of plyometric training is to heighten the excitability of the nervous system for improved reactive ability of the neuromuscular system. The success of plyometric exercise is based on the utilization of the serial elastic properties and stretch-reflex properties of the muscle.