You have heard about Compensatory Acceleration. But what about the Stretch Shortening Cycle? The stretch shortening cycle (SSC) is the spring-like action of muscles where an eccentric contraction is followed by a concentric contraction. The SSC is akin to the compressing a spring. The more force that is applied the more explosive movement. Athletes using a countermovement jump with a pre-stretch or pre-load will consistently jump higher than athletes jumping from a static position.