So you want to learn how to jump higher? Two key areas to remember for a more successful vertical jump training program include:
- The difference between power and strength
- The importance of balance and stability
Here we will review why the areas are important using resistance technology to increase vertical jump and provide tips on vertical jump training.
1. Power and Strength
First and foremost, every coach and athlete should have a solid understanding of the difference between power and strength if they want to have an effective jump training program. This also will explain the benefits of using elastic bands for vertical jump training. Also, we will show advantages and differences between using conventional elastic band technology vs the VertiMax patented consistent elastic band technology.
- Arm Swing Velocity - Don't ignore arm swing velocity! Arm swing velocity accounts for 10 to 13 percent of vertical jump performance. VertiMax is the only vertical jump training system designed to increase arm swing velocity to increase vertical jump performance. If you want to fully develop your vertical jump potential you have to maximize explosive leg power and arm swing velocity through the full range of the upward explosive jumping movement. If you ignore the arm swing component of the vertical jump, you're leaving a lot of vertical jump potential sitting on the bench!
- Training Load - Make sure you have a useful training load applied when you initiate the upward drive phase of your vertical jump movement.. VertiMax is the only vertical jump training system in the world capable of applying a useful, consistent load throughout the complete vertical jump motion to maximize power development from start to finish.
- Benefits Elastic Band Training - Utilizing elastic bands for vertical jump training is a highly effective means to develop explosive leg power because elastic bands can provide resistive loads without the mass of weights. Thus, resistance generated by elastics allows athletes to have much higher rates of acceleration when performing explosive exercises such as vertical jump training. Achieving higher training velocities enables more effective gains in power production at higher velocities which is the training goal.
- Disadvantages of Conventional Elastic Band Training - Unfortunately, conventional elastic vertical jump training systems simply attach elastic bands between the ground and waist and when the athlete squats, the elastic bands will go slack and provide almost no load in the crouched position just before the vertical explosive movement occurs. The training load does not actually kick in until the the elastic band gets tight and by then the athlete is half way through the explosive portion of the vertical leap. This is a serious problem if you are not appropriately loading the leg muscles when you initiate the explosive movement because it is at that point where power production for acceleration is most important to maximize lift-off velocity for optimal vertical jump performance.
Imagine being in a quarter mile drag race and only being able to push the gas pedal half way to the floor until you were half way through the race and then allowed to push the pedal to the floor. You would lose every race due to lack of velocity.
- Advantages of VertiMax Consistent Elastic Band Resistance Training System - The VertiMax design will not allow elastic bands to go slack because they fully retract into the platform surface. With VertiMax bands attached to the waist and pulling downward on the athlete, no matter how low the athlete squats that bands will not go slack because the patented pulley system allows the bands to fully retract into the platform surface and slack cannot form in the band. Thus with VertiMax, all the muscles associated with the vertical jump effort will be loaded through the Full Range of the vertical jumping motion. Applying a useful training load through the FULL Range of Motion will more effectively condition the leg, back and shoulder muscles involved with the arm swing to produce power sooner in the explosive movement to improve acceleration and take-off velocity.
2. Balance and Stability
Balance and stability are crucial when training for maximum power production. VertiMax has two balance and stability mechanisms built into the system to preserve balance and allow athletes to jump train with more effort on every jump.
- Pivoting Tracking System - The pivoting tracking system allows the resistance bands to track the athlete's hip movement whenever they drift away from the center of the platform. The tracking ability allows VertiMax to keep the cords pulling more downward just like gravity when the athlete are not exactly in the center of the platform. By eliminating unnatural lateral forces that would otherwise build up on conventional systems, VertiMax allows athletes to better maintain balance while jump training and thus drive with more force on every training rep. The ability to exert 100% effort promotes more efficient power development.
- Constant Resistance - Secondly the long elastic bands contained within pulley systems allows the resistance to stay relatively constant throughout the complete jump training movement. With VertiMax the athlete will feel the same resistance from the beginning to the end of the vertical leap. That means the athlete is not destabilized by a radically increasing resistance which is what you get when you use conventional jump training systems that tie short elastic bands to the ground. VertiMax provides a stable resistance that simulates increased gravity and allows the athlete to maintain stability while putting forth 100% effort. This allows maximum recruitment and training of the fast twitch muscle motor units for power development when vertical jump training. If you don't believe stability is important when conducting explosive training - try jumping when you're off-balance. Your brain and physics won't allow you to jump with anywhere near 100 percent effort. Gravity doesn't change when we conduct explosive movements in competition. If it did, we'd have athletes constantly stumbling and falling all over the place. If an athlete's training resistance is rapidly changing throughout their explosive training movement, their stability and ability to train at 100 percent effort are compromised and they're not optimally developing explosive power.
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