subject: Guidelines To Improving Your Vertical Jump [print this page] Guidelines To Improving Your Vertical Jump
Line up 6 to 7 hurdles and hop over them with two legs. Make sure that the hurdles are adjustable and at a comfortable height for you.
Repeat the exercise two or three times.
Burpee with no arm hops
From a standing start, drop to the floor and assume a press-up position; tuck your knees in and rise up till you are straight up, dip slightly and perform a no arm hop. Repeat the drill 6 to 10 times depending on your competency.
Burpee with star jumps
From a standing start, drop to the floor and assume a press-up position; tuck your knees in and rise up till you are straight up, dip slightly and perform a star jump. A star jump is one in which the arms and legs are extended to the side at the maximum height of your jump.
Repeat the drill 6 to 10 times depending on your competency.
Depth Jumps
Jump from a raised platform and on hitting the ground explode upwards trying to get as much height and distance as possible. If you have been performing depth jumps before simply raise the platform slightly for a greater level of difficulty.
Resistance Training
This is a way of building strength and power by working against an external resistance. Muscle endurance is often built up by the stress and contraction of working against an opposing force. The external resistance can be traditional weights, elastic bands, weight jackets, sand bags, training chute and even your body weight.
All these work but they can place extreme stress on your joints and muscle causing injuring. The best way of providing resistance safely, in my book, is with the use of resistance bands. Resistance bands are great because they still allow a free range of movement while providing the opposing force necessary to build strength and power.
In conclusion an athlete should always be looking at new innovative ways to improve himself. Performing the same old exercises over and over again can be boring or even worse, yield diminishing returns. Adding some or all of the exercises above to your routine can improve performance markedly provided they are done right .
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