How To Jump Higher

2007-03-04 Word Count: 429 Category: Sports & Recreation

Regardless of the sport, any athlete can easily improve his or her game by learning to jump higher. There’s no doubt that high school athletes to college intramural players to city recreational league players to professional athletes all want to jump higher to be more successful at their sport. Let's discuss the foundations and techniques needed to gain a better understanding of how to jump higher.

When athletes express the desire to jump higher, they are basically saying they desire to increase vertical jump. Professional and collegiate athletes generally have a vertical jump in the 26-36 inch range. Although some of these athletes have a natural God-given ability to jump higher, most of them--and generally all of the general public--can use certain exercises to increase vertical leap. These exercises are broadly split into strength training and power training.

You have to hit the gym to do the strength training portion of jump training, which consists of lower body movements such as squats, leg presses, and lunges. Make sure that you are putting in three to four days a week at the gym to build that strength foundation necessary to increase your jumping ability. No one said it would be easy to train to jump higher!

Power training involves working on certain explosive power exercises to increase your vertical leap. A great exercise is jump roping. Although it may seem so simple, jump roping for 20-30 minutes a day can increase your vertical leap by 2 inches or more. Another great exercise is running stadium stairs. Go to your local high school or community college football stadium and there will be stairs you can run. Another exercise is called box jumping. You can buy jumping boxes from your local sports store or you can use stairs instead. The proper way to use jump boxes is to jump on and off the boxes repeatedly, making sure you are using shock-absorbing shoes on a wooden or carpeted surface. Start out with boxes at a low height, then slowly increase the height over time.

One way to effectively jump higher over time is to mix up strength training and power training. Make sure that you are in good shape and always consult a doctor before starting any exercise regimen. Also, be careful that you don’t overexert yourself because these exercises can put a lot of stress on your lower legs, especially your joints such as knees and ankles. Stay within yourself and commit yourself to these basic exercises and you will be well on your way toward learning how to jump higher.

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Thomas Haney is a writer who covers subjects related to sports. Visit jump-higher-now.com to read in depth reviews of the best jump training systems that train you to jump higher. You may utilize this article for your own site as long as you leave all links active.