by Stephanie Sublett

Created on: April 22, 2009

The athletes who need vertical jump most frequently are basketball and volleyball players. Athletes who can achieve a high vertical leap as a result of training are sprinters and soccer players. The most astounding high jumpers are heavy weight lifters. They commonly weigh well over 200 pounds and have vertical leaps over 40 inches!

Let s look at the best and fastest ways to improve vertical jumping using the techniques common to these athletes.

Note that the following exercises are extremely hard on muscles and connective tissue (especially tendons).
Keep track of your foot contacts for each workout, limiting them to the 150-180 range, and always give yourself at least 48 hours between sessions. Consult a trainer about the proper mechanics of these exercises.

Some common basketball and volleyball training drills to improve vertical leap fall under the category of plyometrics. Plyometrics are exercises where the muscle is stretched (i.e. loaded) before it is contracted. A good example is a set of push-ups with a clap in-between each. Your pectoral muscles are elongated and loaded by the downward force of your body, then immediately contracted to push you back up. Some common plyometrics are:

Explosive step-ups: http://www.webs.uidaho.edu/strength/exp_step_up.htm

J ump tucks: http://www.webs.uidaho.edu/strength/jump_tuck.htm

Ank le hops: http://www.pponline.co.uk/video/barbell-two-footed-a nkle-hop-38146
Russian freezes: http://magazine.stack.com/Exercises/2116/Russian_Fre ezes.aspx

Certain sprinting drills affect high jumping ability directly. These develop the fast twitch muscle and give you explosive power. Gradually increase the height of the platform/box/obstacle you use for these exercises over many weeks:

Box jumps: http://www.exrx.net/Plyometrics/BoxJumps.html

The box jump march: http://www.exrx.net/Plyometrics/BoxJumpMarch.html

Sta ir jumps: http://www.exrx.net/Plyometrics/StairJumps.html

Hurdl e jumps: http://www.exrx.net/Plyometrics/HurdleJumps.html

Olympic lifers have some of the highest vertical leaps ever measured. The explosive lifts develop the explosive strength required for vertical leaping. The squat and power clean may be the best indicators of vertical leap potential. Go to the following links for techniques:

Hang pull: http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/OlympicLifts/Han gPull.html

Push Press: http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/OlympicLifts/Pus hPress.html

Snatch: http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/OlympicLifts/Sna tch.html

For the best vertical leap possible, you have to coordinate your whole body to exert a downward force on the ground whose reaction is to propel you into the air.
This means a stiff torso frame, arms extended fully upward in the direction you are jumping, and bringing up the knees to raise your center of gravity at the peak of the jump. The jump power comes from the quadriceps.
The explosiveness of the force off the floor comes from the calves. The best jumpers are very strong.

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