By Tom Jackson
The purpose of this article is to help those that want to learn to jump higher faster. After reading this article one should have gained the knowhow to increase there vertical leap and more importantly start their jump training with a solid foundation.
(Editor’s note: the-vu is not pro-sport, but we understand the real value in being able to jump very high).
Two Legs Or One?
Thats the question. Are you a two legged jumper or a one leg jumper. Sometimes even if you are a one leg jumper your sport may require you to train for two legged jumping. Although you can still improve your overall jumping ability regardless of witch types of methods you use you wont be able to jump your highest until you find out what type of jumper you are. A simple test to see how high you jump with one leg or two can help you to figure it out. If you jump higher with one leg for example you are a one legged jumper.
Where to Begin?
You simply have to know where to start before you begin your jump training. There are certain questions that you need to ask yourself. For example are you overweight? What type of physical conditioning do you have are you a beginner, intermediate or advanced? In some cases you may have to get into top physical condition before youre able to start a jump training program. In addition if you are an advanced athlete then you may be able to skip ahead advanced training techniques.
Explosive Workouts
You need to train with explosive exercises in order to improve your vertical leap. Thats just the bottom line. Lift weights does not equate explosiveness. It may make you stronger and you may see a small improvement in you jumping ability, but it does not make you jump the highest. The ability to move weight quickly plus strength equals power or explosiveness. If youre not combining jumping exercises with weight training then you are missing out completely on the full potential of your gains.
Examples of Combining explosive works and exercises to jump higher:
- Lower Body
- Lunges + Exaggerated Skipping
- Squats + Rim Jumps
- Upper Body (for arm swinging motion)
- Front Shoulder Raises (for deltoids) + Over The Shoulder Throws (with medicine ball)
These are just a few examples of what you can do to combined explosive exercises with weight training. But it takes more than that to jump higher fast. You have to also know how to do these exercises properly and at what weight you need to lift and how many reps as well for best results.
Author Tom Jackson says, “The best jump program Ive used is offered at http://jumphigherfaster.blogspot.com “.