Two Important Part Your Jump Higher Program

Many athletes participate in a jump higher program to improve their vertical jump.  They do so because they understand the importance of have great leaping ability because it’s often used as a measurement of explosive ability.  If you engage in such a program, here are a couple things that should not be ignored.

Speed

Mass times acceleration equals power.  If you are lacking the acceleration, you won’t have the power to elevate above the rim.  You need to explode off the ground in order to jump higher.  Many coaches want to know their athletes’ vertical’s because it tells them how much explosive power they have. 

You can actually improve you jumping speed in the gym and on the track. In the gym, you can improve you jump speed by training with speed squats.  These are squats that are about 50-60% of you maximum squat and they are performed fast.  If you are a 400 lb squatter, you need to be training your 250 lb squats as if you had 400 lbs on the bar!  You can also train your speed by performing sprints over distances of 40-100 yards.

Technique

Many athletes address speed and strength in their jump higher program, but often neglect to practice jumping and proper technique.  It’s difficult to explain jumping technique in writing but I can tell you that jumping should be a full body exercise.  You need to learn to use your upper body as well as you legs. 

You can do all the sprinting and strength training in the world, but you still need to practice jumping.  You can practice using drills know as plyometrics.  These are repetitive drills that develop your reactive strength and explosion.  There are many plyometric drills to choose.  Such exercises include box jumps, depth jumps, forward bounds, slalom jumps, power skipping, jump rope, vertical jumps, and much more.  You should find a way to incorporate these into your jumping program.

If you are having difficulty adding inches to your vertical, you should assess if one of the reasons above is holding you back.  Good workouts to jump higher will address the areas of strength, flexibility, speed, conditioning, and technique.