Athletes have been wanting to know how to jump higher for a long time. Regardless of which sport you play, the ability to be vertically explosive is absolutely critical to any athlete’s success, which should be considered when developing any sort of strength training program.
Athletes that train with quick, explosive movements while adding resistance to the exercise can increase the rate of force development (RFD). This leads to greater muscular force generated and more explosive athletic performance.
Strength training to enhance power and explosiveness consists of plyometrics that are specifically designed to increase speed and power. Drills designed to increase an athlete’s vertical jump improve muscle contraction by developing the fast-twitch muscle fibers that transfer strength into speed. Performing plyometrics will also increase the strength of the contracted muscle’s tendons. Developing the strength of the tendons is also essential for athletes, as not only will it be an important factor in reducing injury, but it also allows athletes to produce more force and be more explosive.
With all that said, let’s look at how athletes can train to jump higher no matter what sport they are playing. Whether they need to improve their vertical to dunk in basketball, jump higher to high point a football, or increase explosiveness while training for a broad jump, VertiMax has the versatility to help enhance performance in any sport.
How To Jump Higher For Any Sport
- How To Jump Higher For Basketball
Basketball, of all the sports, may have the most situations within the game where being vertically explosive allows you to obtain an advantage over your opponent. Whether it’s finishing over defenders at the rim, blocking a shot, or grabbing a rebound, being able to jump high can help improve several aspects of your game and give you an edge. Let’s see some of the ways athletes are training with the VertiMax so they can boost their vertical and play above the rim.
Jump Squats
By performing jump squats with the VertiMax, you can supercharge this traditional exercise that improves performance across all sports and enhances any athlete’s vertical (like the athlete below). It also develops the explosive power in your lower body that allows you to play with better agility and body control, which is imperative to the sport of basketball. The jump squat stimulates the fast-twitch muscles in several areas of the lower body, including the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, hip flexors, and calves. Whether you are just starting out as a basketball player or an NBA-level player, these are a necessity for any basketball player trying to increase their vertical.
- How To Jump Higher For Dunking
Almost universally, basketball players of all levels want to improve their vertical so they can become a more emphatic dunker. Not only will being able to elevate above the rim with dunk shots look cool, but it can cause defenders to foul you around the basketball, providing opportunities for more high-percentage shots from the free throw line! This set of exercises from strength and conditioning coach Mike Atkinson is an excellent way for basketball players who aspire to dunk. They can progressively build towards increasingly explosive movements while perfecting their jumping technique and efficiency of movement.
- Deceleration Landing
- Deceleration to Hop
- Drop Step to Vertical Jump
- Leg Crank
With this set of exercises, players will develop both their two foot and one foot jump, giving them sufficient preparation to jump instinctively and deal with the variability of the sport. It also builds the explosive power in their lower body that they need to play above the rim.
- How to Train to Jump Higher for Football
While not important for all positions, vertical explosiveness is crucial to the performance of skill position players (wide receivers, running backs) and the back end of the defense (defensive backs). Being able to high-point the ball and come down with it absolutely should be a focal point in training for any pass catchers, as well as anyone who has to defend them. In the video below, the athlete uses the VertiMax to develop the fast twitch muscles in their lower body with resistance training and simulate catching the ball at the highest point.
Being able to hurdle defenders is also a tremendous advantage for running backs/receivers who’ have developed their explosive ability, as being able to evade tacklers is essential to the game. Check out the player training with the VertiMax Raptor, giving them the versatility to replicate hurdling a defender and then high pointing the ball, allowing them to really develop their vertical jumping ability through multiple explosive movements.
- How to Train to Jump Higher for Volleyball
Playing above the net in volleyball should be a priority for any athletes looking to take their game to the next level and improve their skill as a spiker. With the VertiMax, there are many ways that volleyball players can develop their ability to jump higher while also working on their spiking skills and types of spikes that they will actually use within the game. Using the resistance from the VertiMax, this athlete uses one of many options that can help translate their training into better performance, as they can work on their hard-driven spikes, while also enhancing their capabilities to jump higher.
This video below is another great example of the different exercises you can do with the VertiMax V8 to improve your explosiveness for volleyball.
- Seated Vertical Jump
- Drop to Vertical Jump
- One-Step Vertical Jump
- Arm Swings to Vertical Jump
With these drills, volleyball players can improve their ability to elevate off a standstill or on the move, while maximizing the force they can produce with their arm swings.
- How To Jump Higher For Track & Field
In track and field, there are a few events (broad jump, high jump) where your ability to jump and elevate explosively is the skill required to succeed, so training to improve your ability to jump higher and more explosively is paramount. Look at this athlete training for the broad jump, where he’s doing jump squats with the VertiMax resistance to increase his rate of force development, which helps improve his explosiveness on his broad jump.
Here is another excellent exercise for those trying to improve their high jump, where the athlete simulates their take-off positions while simultaneously using the VertiMax for resistance, improving their jumping ability and technique at the same time.
As far as training for the high jump, check out this drill below, where the athlete does single leg lunge jumps with the VertiMax V8. This allows her to focus on developing her take-off foot with this explosive movement.
- How To Jump Higher For Soccer
In soccer, the goalie position requires the ability to cover ground vertically, so training to develop your jumping capabilities as a goalie should be a part of your routine. Here’s a great training video from a young goalie, who works on jumping laterally from both directions with the VertiMax, followed by a diving save. The functionality of the VertiMax gives goalies the ability to move laterally and go all out on save attempts, which ultimately will translate to better performance on the pitch.
- How To Jump Higher For Baseball
While baseball can be more of a speed and agility game, players of all levels should focus on the ability to jump explosively. For an outfielder, it can be a game changer by jumping up or climbing the wall in order to take away a home run. With the adaptability of the VertiMax, you can concentrate on exercise that improves your speed and vertical jump at the same time. In the video below, the athlete is doing single leg step-ups with the VertiMax, allowing them to load both parts of movement and improve multiple facets of their athleticism.
- Training To Jump Higher Using VertiMax
Early sports training assumed the' solution to jumping higher came primarily from leg workouts, but when you examine thee total movement pattern of a jumper, you can't ignore the impact of arm swing. Hace you tried jumping without the use of your arms to propel you upward or forward? Chances are you didn't get too very high or too far. Statistics show us that 13 percent of vertical jumping capabilities come from arm swing speed.
No matter which sport you play or what level you play, incorporating the VertiMax into your training routine can be extremely beneficial to increasing your vertical jump. Research has proven VertiMax’s consistent resistance technology can improve an athlete’s ability to jump explosively and produce more force. You can attach VertiMax resistance bands to your hips, legs and arms, to train as you play by accommodating drills that translate to the field of play for any sport.
Professional athletes from all sports have turned to VertiMax because they know the difference. Coaches are bringing it into training rooms, resulting in improved athletic performance. With that in mind, there is no better equipment to do resistance training with for any sport than the VertiMax, which allows the freedom of movement to do explosive movements that will translate to superior performance.
It's not a fluke, either. If you truly want to know how to jump higher, you need to train like you want it. And VertiMax is the only training machine out there that prepares athletes for the entire jump movement. How's that for a game changer?
To learn more about how VertiMax V8 Platforms and the Raptor can increase your explosiveness and take your game to the next level, check out the link below.
Article Updated October 18, 2022
