Playing basketball, football, rugby and many other sports require the kind of explosiveness and power required to take off fast or project the body into the air.

In Basketball especially, vertical height is considered to be an indispensable asset. Height gives any player an advantage, almost regardless of the position they play.

Getting closer to the net for both shots, defense, and rebounding are a part of the basic skills for all player positions.

Training to enhance that vertical is an essential part of a well rounded training program. Training should be sports specific, meaning that it replicates as much as possible game situations.

Whatever you may be training for should be considered during vertical height training.

Before beginning any physical program a proper warm up is important. In jump training, a warm up is equally if not more important.

The explosive movement of a jump requires a number of large muscle groups to be alert, responsive and flexible.

While the whole body can get a general, overall warm up with a light jog, each body part should have its own special warm up with unique movements and considerations.

Ankles And Lower Leg

Often overlooked by many, the ankles are essential to all full-body movements. These are what attach you to the ground, and are the basis of all propelling, movements.

The ankle is a point of attachment for the bones of the foot to the tibia and fibula in the lower leg. Fastening them together are a series of ligaments.

These ligaments are generally where injuries occur. Rolling or spraining the ankle results in a stretching or tearing of the ligaments (typically on the outside) of the ankle joint.

The calves make up the posterior section of the lower leg. There two main muscles in the calf which are hard a work during a jump.

These muscles are responsible for pushing the feet and toes against the ground and launching the body into the air.

Warming up this section should start with ankle rolls and twists; turn each ankle in circles -about 10 times each- in both directions, opening up full range of motion.

Next do it with the toes pointed on the floor, adding a little pressure. This way, the muscles and ligaments associated can prepare better for stretches and rolls that might occur.

You can also try standing up straining and jumping up lightly using just the feet and calves to push off the ground.

Hip Flexors

The hip flexors are the muscles which join the front section of the pelvis to the legs. They are contracting when lifting the knee up. These muscles are small and often prone to injury if not well warmed before use.

The hip flexors can be warmed up by massage. Since they are so small, the muscles of the hip flexors can be warmed by:

➟ Lying face-down on a foam roller placed at the hip

➟ Rolling the muscles out length-wise

➟ Use the hands on the floor to pull and push the whole weight of the body forward and backward

This helps to increase blood flow to the area, heating the muscles up and preparing them for sudden stretching and other movements.

Glutes

These sets of muscles on humans allow us to walk upright with ease. This big muscle group is made up of 3 main muscles which work together to pull the upper leg downwards and backwards.

This motion is called hip extension, which is the exact moment in a jump after the dip, on the way up. The muscles of the glutes are used in many other movements at the hip joint, but for jumping, this is the most obvious.

The glutes work simultaneously with the hamstrings and quadriceps to ensure the body is propelled in a vertical upright line instead of forwards or back.

The entire structure of the hip can be warmed by doing leg swings.

• Stand arms-length away from a wall
• Put your hands on the wall
• Place one foot a step behind the other
• Lift opposite leg and start swinging it left to right
• Do several repetitions
• Switch legs

This should loosen and warm the muscles surrounding the hip joint, including the glutes.

Muscles Of The Thighs

These are the big muscles propelling the majority of the movement in a jump.

The quadriceps are made up of 4 muscles attached along the front half of the thigh to various locations on the lower leg. They are responsible for extension at the knee joint.

The hamstrings are the opposing muscles, and are responsible for bending at the knee, and also extending the hip backwards.

These two big muscles make up the largest muscles sections on the body, and are often the strongest. Since they are used in various ranges throughout a normal day, they are often in need of the least warming.

They are not as susceptible to injury as the smaller and finer muscle groups. However, the knee joint is weak in some positions, and in particular, laterally, or sideways.

Attaching the bone of the upper and lower legs are ligaments, which hold it in particular balance. This is where a lot of injuries associated with jumping occur.

The landing of a jump must maintain that perfect balance of the knee, and thus, landing in the same position as take- off is optimal.

Keeping this in mind, warming up the knee joint and preparing the nervous system for any miscalculations requires a few light test runs.

Warming up for any kind of jump training should include several different kinds of light hops and jumps. Hoping from one food to the other is a good start, then using both feet, gradually getting higher.

Warming up for vertical jump training properly is going to be key in reducing the risk of injury, and optimizing play and training results.

Find out more about all training components with the The Jump Manual, and remember that a well warmed system is like a well-oiled engine!

Used most often by basketball players and football players, the vertical jump is a complex and multifaceted movement. It is both highly technical and utterly basic.

Children naturally learn how to jump by testing a wobbly hop, learning how to balance a landing and take-off, and everything in between. Some seem to be naturally better jumpers than others.

This is clearly demonstrated in children who have never had jump training, and who are the same body shape and size, yet one jumps significantly higher than the other.

In these cases, one wonders what makes a good jumper, and if it can be changed with training.

In truth, the height reached in a vertical jump is both a result of natural and developed skills and muscle physiology.

How Does A Muscle Contract?

Muscles are told to contract by nerve messages. These messages are generated in the brain’s motor cortex. This part of the brain is where the idea to leap into the air is born.

The brain sends a message, calculating simultaneously the trajectory and forces needed for the desired movement.

In a few 100ths of a second, the messages are transmitted down to the muscles and a simple muscle sections contract.

In a jump movement, the brain is sending messages through hundreds of nerves to dozens of muscles throughout the body.

In this way, while a muscle contraction is simple ‘wiggle your toes’ it is the speed of message transmission and the sequence, or order of muscle contractions, along with overall force generated which leads to a successful jump.

A perfect example of how the muscles work together would be to try standing up and jumping as high as possible without bending the knees, or without bending the hips.

The cooperation of the whole body is necessary for success.

Force Of Contraction

In the moment when nerve cells initiate muscle contraction, another factor is at play for not only a successful jump but the height reached in as a result of the force of muscle contraction.

The force generated in a movement varies greatly from one person to another.

This is one of the variable factors in jump height.

This is also a trainable factor, which can adapt to eliciting more and more force per contraction.

How To Improve Contraction Force

If you’ve been adding weight to the leg press, and increasing the strength of the legs, you may have only noticed a slight difference in vertical height.

This is because contraction force is not only represented in muscle strength, but also in power. While often confused for being the same thing, muscle strength and muscle power are two different measures.

In the moment of contraction, the speed at which maximal strength is applied is known as power.

The overal power generated cannot be improved by only training the strength component. Improving the speed of contraction is required as well.

In training, this means focusing on specific exercises that improve overall power generated by the legs.

It means doing movements which incorporate power training as much as possible.

This also means that the specific muscle fiber types which are used in extreme force and power generation will be trained, and adapted, and possibly increase in numbers.

Fast And Slow Twitch Muscle Fibers

There are two basic types of muscle fibers; type 1 and type 2.

Type 1 is known as slow twitch – these are endurant, slower responding, long lasting muscle fibers which are highly developed in endurance athletes.

Type 2 is also known as fast twitch and they are broken down into Type 2a and 2b.

These muscle fibers are able to generate incredible amounts of force, are responsible for explosive movements, but are very short-lived.

They are highly developed in sprinters and power-based athletes.

Most physiologists agree that these fiber types are present in different ratios in every person.

This explains why one person may be stronger in either category, regardless of conditioning, while another is weak in it.

Many physiologists also argue that these fiber types are adaptable to conditions and demands placed on them.

This is to say that even if a person may be born with a natural split between the two that they can train type 1 fibers to become type 2a or type 2b fiber types.

Type 2b is the most explosive, most powerful and quickest muscle fibers to contract.

These contractions last up to 5 or 6 seconds at the most, and are most likely those recruited in a vertical jump.

With this in mind, type 2a can be trained with time to be as strong and responsive as 2b.

With the right training volume, intensity, density, frequency and correct exercise selections, you can physiologically adapt to training, and improve vertical height.

But this is often where the challenge lies. While it may be physiologically possible, many lack the training expertise to create an appropriate goal oriented program.

While some may be naturally inclined towards endurance athletics, others may be at the other extreme, towards power athletics, with the rest in between.

This is no reason why, with the right training one could not become better at one or the other.

A solid training program like the one provided in The Jump Manual, and dedication to it can lead to serious physiological adaptations to vertical jump training.

Understanding how we jump is important in vertical jump training. Following a good program and all the steps is equally as important as getting the bigger picture.

Throughout the body there is a mechanism which naturally occurs called the stretch reflex.

Do you ever remember visiting a doctor who takes a rubber hammer to that specific spot at the knee and it causes the leg to suddenly kick out? This is the stretch reflex.

This stretch reflex is a physiological protective mechanism naturally developed in humans. It plays a big role in the power and force generated by the muscles.

This is what makes it so much more important in activities requiring power movements- including jumping- than most people realize.

What Is It?

The stretch reflex occurs, in the example above, when the rubber hammer hits the tendon just below the knee which is the attachment for the quadriceps muscles in the thigh.

At the moment it strikes the tendon, a sudden stretch occurs in the muscle. In order to protect itself, the muscle reflexively contracts. As quickly as it is stretched, the muscle shortens by contracting.

This protects it from damage, tearing, strains and injury in general.

Like all reflexes, the sensory feedback does not travel as far as the brain, which is what makes the reaction so quick.

During a reflex, sensors in the muscle instantly feedback to the spine, where the responding command to contract is then sent from.

Where Is It?

Nearly all of the muscles in the body have this same stretch reflex to protect themselves. Only a few can be tapped from the surface of the skin, but the principle remains the same for all.

In basketball, for example, when dipping before a jump, certain muscles, including the ones around the ankle joint are stretched, reacting in a reflexive jump.

Think of the effect of an elastic band; the farther back you stretch it, the faster and harder it will snap forwards.

Training According To The Specificity Principle

There are several training principles which are tried and true methods to improve performance in any sport.

If training for basketball, there are several components, including endurance and also training to improve vertical height to catch rebounds, effectively block and to get closer to the net for shots.

In order to train to get better at these things, and specifically, to improve vertical height, training the stretch reflex to become more refined and as effective as possible is the main goal.

This means dedicating specific time to training this stretch reflex during your training to improve vertical height.

Training The Stretch Reflex

The most effective way of training the stretch reflex is to use it as much as possible.

By using it, the neural and sensory system get used to it, and it adapts to the increased use, becoming faster, and more refined.

By doing controlled plyometric jumps which replicate game situations, the power, or explosiveness of the stretch reflex are more enhanced, speeding it up, to produce the movements quicker than ever before.

Training Methods

Here, you can incorporate movements that require multiple jumps. For example, start with the simple front-back (or side to side) jumps:

‣ Use a line as a marker and stand behind it with both feet together

‣ In quick succession and without pausing, jump forwards and back across the line

‣ Use the same line to jump side to side

‣ Perform sets of 10 or 20 without stopping

You can then move on to the next level of jumping, called a jump, jump, pause:

‣ Start with feet shoulder width apart, ready to jump

‣ Jump twice without pausing as high as possible

‣ On the 2nd landing, brace yourself and pause the whole movement

‣ Repeat from this position

Next, you can move onto using small pieces of equipment to aid in your training, such as mini-hurdles or boxes, here are two such examples:

For hurdles:

‣ Set up 10 -12 mini-hurdles in a row

‣ Start with a simple forward facing hop over each without pause, as fast as possible

‣ Start again, try turning your body to face right and left, alternating at each hurdle

‣ Try different variations!

For boxes:

‣ Set up 2 boxes, one short, one taller right against each other

‣ Hop with both feet from the ground to #1

‣ Without stopping, hop to #2 and hold still once you’ve reached the top

‣ Restart

‣ Try pushing them apart, starting from box # 1

‣ Drop to ground between and hop up to box # 2

‣ Pause at the top

‣ Restart

There are many others to choose from with varying levels of difficulty.

In order to get the best out of them and refine your stretch reflex to get the most amount of power and force out of it this training should become a part of your regular training regime.

On the road to taking your vertical height to new heights, check out The Jump Manual for more tips and useful training information.

Getting the most out of your workouts may be more of a challenge than one would initially think.

There are so many variants which must be considered when it comes to getting the human body to reach its maximum potential.

With each style of training there are ups and downs, advantages and disadvantages, and big no-no’s.

Did you know that how you treat yourself out of training effects you in the biggest ways during training?

Working out is a science, and improving game skills is absolutely a fine science. However, even the most fantastic and effective training programs usually lack a few important things.

Did you know that immediately after training the body opens up to digest anything and everything you could give it as it desperately attempts to recover?

The human body is complex and miraculous as it works to learn, memorize and adapt to the various demands you put on it through training.

Degrees Of Training

There are various degrees of training. This may be a more obvious one- for example, speed walking is not as intensive as plyometrics.

The body may not have a hard time recovering from a bout of speed walking compared to doing a set of high volume weights.

These varying degrees of training are also affected by the training volume, intensity, and frequency.

1. Volume

Training volume is the overall number of repetitions done in a single session- for example, 3 sets of 30 jumping jacks is a total volume of 90.

2. Intensity

Training intensity refers to the level of difficulty- there are many ways to measure this, including a percent of the maximum.

For example, the most weight you can do just once in a squat would be your 1 Repition Max, or 1RM.

You can measure intensity this way- doing sets of 10 repetitions of your 12 RM, could be a way of knowing just how hard you’re working.

3. Frequency

Training frequency is how often one would be training. It could be 3, 4, 5, or even 6 times per week. This is generally based the level of fitness.

What It Means?

All these factors are indicators of what your body needs outside, and specifically, immediately after training.

With higher training volume, intensity, or frequency, the body requires more from you outside of training to recover.

Recover is composed of giving the body and mind adequate rest, and feeding it the right stuff.

Recovering From Jump Training

Training for vertical height usually means participating in programs which are designed to improve force, speed and power.

Speed and power are two of the most difficult things to improve through training. It takes specialized training programs and plenty of dedication.

After a session of power training, the body has needs which it would not have in cases of training under different parameters.

This is because it is one of the most difficult styles of training, and requires the highest intensity possible, nearly every session.

With this kind of strain on the body, recovery, which leads to adaptation- needs special assistance.

1. Post-Workout Aid

Post workout aids usually come in the form of some sort of expensive supplement.

These supplements contain a liquid form of protein, and the best ones contain several types of useable amino acids, as well as complex and simple sugars.

These types of aids are sold by making claims of being able to get “ripped” as a result.

This is not exactly accurate since the training program used is the most effective way to enlarge muscles.

Regardless, post-workout aids- the good ones, at least, can be beneficial to the athlete in a number of ways.

2. Carbs

After a really difficult workout focusing on improving power (vertical height) the muscles are depleted of energy.

The body needs to be refueled as soon as possible to begin the recovery process. The first thing required is energy- which can come in any form of sugar, or carbohydrate.

Juices are great for this, but a meal including rice is also great, along with any fruit. Grabbing a banana post workout goes a long way.

3. Protein

Proteins, and specifically amino acids are the building blocks of muscle.

There are dozens of essential and non-essential amino acids which are used to build muscle and other body tissues.

A good program will require a good balance of protein in your diet. This keeps all functions running strong.

All of the small connective tissues, including tendons and ligaments are integral parts of the chain being used in jumps, and they require maintenance continuously.

The best, most usable forms of protein come from animals and animal products. Eggs provide the best source for usable protein, followed by chicken and fish.

4. Shakes Or Real Meals?

Shakes are one of the most popular methods of getting your post-workout recovery needs because they are often easy to travel with, and liquid is easy to digest.

However, studies have shown that eating a good, well rounded meal containing both protein and carbohydrates is the most effective method of kick-starting recovery, and for recovering as a whole.

Knowing how to treat your body after training is just a small part of improving your vertical jump.

You can get plenty more information, along with a great plan from The Jump Manual.

If you’ve been training to improve your vertical jump and are certain you’ve taken the right steps, you’ve most likely seen some improvements.

But unless you’re getting a really well rounded training program, you may be missing a few components which can take you the distance.

Improving mobility is closely related to flexibility training, but there is a distinction between the two. We’ll run you through a few of the most effective mobility drills you can do to improve your vertical.

What Does Mobility Refer To?

There are several styles of training when it comes to improving mobility.

These are movements which will allow target muscles and joints to engage fully and completely in whatever task you are working towards. Some styles are more like yoga, and have incorporated yoga poses, while others use plyometric style movements.

More specifically, improving mobility is to improve the stretch, relaxation, tone, strength, recruitment and flexibility of a particular joint/muscle group.

In Warm Ups

Mobility drills are often used in warmups.

For example, warming up for soccer or volleyball, players will do a hip swing. These swings loosen and warm up the whole hip join, preparing it for lateral, and forward and backward movements.

Using this type of a ballistic stretch improves the mobility and thus the preparedness of the hips, increasing blood flow, warming it, preparing the muscles for a game, and improving the elasticity of the muscles as well.

As a result, the joint will be far less likely to be injured, and the player will have better mobility right from the start of the game or practice.

Static Stretches

Static stretches to improve mobility are never done before a workout or game.

These drills also look a lot more like basic flexibility drills but actually emphasize a different parameter. With lots of muscular training for power and strength the associated muscles can often become tight, rigid, and start compensating for weak areas or joints.

Similarly, if one particular training aspect is trained more frequently (running, for example) certain joints will become more rigid or stiff as a result. In the case of running, the hip flexors and lower back become tight, making them slow to react to stretch.

It is in these situations where mobility training becomes a necessity. We all have imbalances, and some take lots of training to show themselves.

Deep Squats

This is a great one for a warm up, and you don’t need any weight or equipment.

• Start with both legs set evenly apart and flat on the ground
• Drop your body all the way down till you’re fully squatting
• Keep your heels on the ground throughout the movement
• Raise yourself up until your knees are almost straight
• Repeat 10 to 15 times during warm up, in quick succession of each-other (a quick bounce up and down)

Leg Swings

Leg swings can be performed in all directions. Start with a front to back swing, which will warm and stretch the hip flexors as well as the upper part of the hamstrings.

• Stand with your side facing a wall
• Place your hand on the wall side up on the wall for balance
• Swing the opposite leg front to back, starting with a low, comfortable height
• Increase the force and height of the foot in both directions as you feel comfortable.
• Switch sides and match the number of repetitions and height with the first leg
• Perform 12 to 20 repetitions

Next, try a lateral hip swing to stretch and warm your glutes and hip adductors (groin muscles)

• Face a wall at arms length away, place one arm on wall for balance
• Swing same side leg from left to right along the length of the wall
• When crossing the opposite leg, cross in front
• Start with a low and comfortable swing, increase when you feel ready
• Switch sides, performing the same number of reps, etc
• Perform 12 to 20 repetitions

Lumbar Circles

Very important for the lower back, this is the oldie but goodie of mobility drills which has a great track record of improving performance and reducing back pain. You’ve seen it before:

• Stand with feet wider than shoulder width, arms loosely at sides
• Drop your trunk to the side, then slowly rotate forwards, and eventually to the opposite side
• DO NOT extend full circles backwards
• Returning to center after each cycle
• Performing the movement slowly will inhibit compensation techniques

Foot Rolls

Don’t over look your feet! This is where your jump will be generated and tension and stiffness in the feet is usually ignored and goes unnoticed. These are easy and can be done anywhere

• Sit so your feet are not weight bearing
• Roll the ankle in circles- both directions 8 to 10 times
• Open up the toes and push them back by pushing against the floor, hold the position for several seconds
• In the opposite direction, rotate foot so the top of the toes are flat on the ground. Stretch the foot back and hold this position
• For several seconds

These exercises will reduce the tension in the feet and ankles as well as all the associated ligaments and tendons.

Understanding more about improving mobility and using mobility drills can be found in a resource like the The Jump Manual.

This offers a whole host of techniques in training to improve your vertical jump. These techniques can also be used to improve performance in a number of other similar sports.

There is a lot of misinformation floating around on the web, so no doubt you’ve come across plenty of theories and opinions on how to improve your vertical jump.

Vertical height is a crucial aspect to many sports, and the muscles and mechanics of a jump are closely related to the basic mechanics of many other movements, including running sprints.

1. Make Sure You Have The Strength

Before getting into the more complex stuff, you need to have a strength base to work from. If you’re under 21 and haven’t done proper strength training before, this is the time to start.

You need to begin training those legs. The quadriceps, hamstrings, gleuts and lower back are the producers of the movement for a jump and those muscles should be well conditioned and strong compared to your body-weight.

The other body structures engaged in the movement are there for stability and balance, including the feet, calves, core, and shoulders/arms.

The best and most effective training for this is to start doing squats. Do low repetitions (no more than 5), with 5-7 sets. These are the traditional squats with a standard barbell on the back of the neck.

Keep a narrow grip, set your back and descend as low as possible. If you are only able to handle half squats (not descending fully) then reduce the weight on the bar, and try to do it correctly.

Quality technique is key when you start, if not, you’ll find yourself being held back down the road. Do yourself a favor and don’t worry about impressing people with how much you can lift! Focus on doing it right!

2. Make Sure You’re Eating The Right Stuff

Eating right is a part of your basis for training. Eat as much food as you can, as long as you avoid junk, and are getting plenty of carbohydrates and protein.

When you start this kind of training, your body will be screaming for quick, usable energy, and in desperate need of nutrients to repair muscle and connective tissues.

Good nutrition is a part of the basis of your training to improve vertical height.

3. Mobility Drills

Doing mobility drills is slightly different than flexibility training. These are important so you can loosen up the joints and structures in the spine and pelvis to be more conducive to the training and to the actual jumps you’ll be doing in whatever sport you’re playing.

There are dozens of mobility drills and styles which take after various practices, including yoga. You’ll want to focus on opening and loosening the muscles and joints of the lower spine, hips and pelvis, all of which are highly involved in a jump movement.

4. The Viking Throw

Use this great exercise which is has an explosive movement but also a plyometric component to it:

• Get a medicine ball which you can comfortably handle
• Locate yourself where you can toss the ball behind you
• Stand with your feet wider than shoulder width apart hold ball with both hands evenly
• Dip deeply down into a squat to create momentum
• Toss ball over head in an arched trajectory behind you
• Repeat with 10 repetitions, start with one set, work your way up to 3

This exercise is really easy to do and takes you a long way in training. All of the muscles that you’d use for jumping are being trained both with resistance and for power.

5. The Unload Jump

There are a few different versions of this jump, the simplest can be to use dumbbells.

The principle behind the unloading jump is to load the muscles associated with the eccentric contraction (the muscles used to crouch or dip before taking off) in order to strengthen the concentric contraction.

Here is what you’d do:

• Take a couple of 10-15lb dumbbells
• Stand back from the rim of the net, or use a wall with a marker indicating rim height
• You’ll be preparing to jump up and forwards towards the net as you would in game situation
• Take a dumbbell in each hand, crouch very deeply
• Drop dumbbells at lowest point in crouch and explode into jump
• Do 6-10 repetitions of this and just 1 to 3 sets

6. Use Visualization

This technique is not used enough by amateur athletes. Elite and professional athletes are trained and encouraged to use visualization as a part of their everyday training. This is a part of a real science!

Once you start jumping, and training for it, you should start visualizing yourself using proper technique in game situations.

• Find a quiet space
• Stand up, breathe deeply, relax your muscles
• Imagine yourself jumping faster, higher and with greater ease
• Imagine the feeling in various game situations
• Consider all of your senses; what you’ll see, hear, smell and feel.

If you find it difficult, you can start with visualizing for just 1 or 2 minutes, until you break concentration. With time, this is a skill which can and should be improved, refined, and practiced more and more.

These are the 6 basic and practical steps you can start with to improve your vertical jump.

You’ll find a lot more in-depth information on these and other training tips in The Jump Manual.

If you’re serious about improving your vertical height for basketball or another sport, this is a fantastic place to start.

Good nutrition is important to any athlete. Eating well and eating to maximize your results can often mean two different things.

Eating well for a person who is inactive or participates in light or moderate physical activity and a person who trains at high intensities have very different needs and varying diets.

If you’re looking to improve your vertical jump, you’ll need to be ready for lots of training, as it won’t come easy; but you’ll also need to have the right support system for your body.

Physiological Adaptations To Training

Physiologically, your body will start to change once you start training.

Your muscles will be working, tearing, learning new movements; your tendons and ligaments will be strengthened and better enforced; and your nervous system will be making new and improved connections.

All of this activity means your body will be working overtime to accommodate to the new demands you’ve placed on it, without you being aware of it.

For this sort of adaptation to occur, cells are multiplying and growing, reacting to your workouts. This is where the right nutrition comes in.

Growing, strengthening and improved power are all reliant upon what you put into your body to build the cells.

You are what you eat! Everything you put in your mouth will be used for something in the body, unless it’s considered junk and is sent away as waste.

Jumping Foods

Perhaps you’ve heard about or seen ads for ‘jumping foods’ or ‘jumping supplements’.

Let’s get real: there are no jumping foods! There are no pills or supplements that you can take which will somehow make you jump higher, faster, stronger, or make you more powerful.

Contrary to what supplement companies claim (let’s remember they are trying to sell to you) there is really, truly, scientifically, no such thing!

Getting a better jump height is about choosing the right foods and engaging in the right training that will take your jump to the next level.

Foods To Shop For

Training for your vertical jump means training strength, force, and power.

To improve these components, you’ll need to make sure you’re getting enough protein, vitamins, minerals, water and fuel. You’ll want to be light on your feet, so any extra pounds are unwanted as they’ll just hold you down!

You’ll need foods high in protein, so look for lean meats like chicken, turkey, fish, and extra lean beef. Buy versions of this that are as close to natural as possible, chicken pieces and fish fillets are much better than chicken fingers and fish sticks.

For energy foods, you’ll need carbs in their natural state. These include fruits, rice, potatoes, and other whole grain items.

Also great for both protein and energy is nuts. These contain good fats, are healthy, and should be taken each day to help balance your diet.

The best foods for vitamins and minerals are fruits and veggies. Try new leafy greens, and differently colored foods; spice it up and enjoy your veggies.

Eat apples, pears, peaches, bananas, plums, asparagus, lettuce, carrots, sweet potatoes, broccoli, peppers and cauliflower to name just a few. You’ll know you’re getting plenty of good stuff from it if it’s crunchy and fresh.

Foods To Avoid

If you’re serious about making your improvements and gains, you’ll avoid certain foods which are complete danger.

Fatty foods are not so great. Yes, it’s true that the body needs some fats, which are known as ‘good fats’ but we get enough of these through eggs and lean meat, so there’s no need to go looking for fatty foods particularly.

Avoid anything deep fried, as this method of cooking soaks your food in oil and destroys all nutrients in the food.

High sugar foods are those which are made up of simple sugars. If you take a teaspoon of sugar in your tea, it’s not a big deal, this won’t affect you the way that a high sugar food will.

If you are eating chocolate bars, candy, white bread, pastries, doughnuts, pop or any other sugar-based beverage, ice cream, etc, you are giving yourself two unwanted conditions.

First, you’ll spike your blood sugar levels. Every time you consume a high sugar food, your pancreas has to react by releasing insulin into your blood. It tries to reduce the amount of sugar floating around and starts storing it.

This is the second problem; you’ll be consuming and conserving extra calories which won’t likely be used, and probably stored to become fat later on.

Processed foods are to be avoided at all costs. How do you know if it’s processed?

The most obvious ones are the ones wrapped in plastic, or the ones with expiry dates for months or years ahead (with the exception of canned goods).

Stay away from processed meats (chick nuggets, for example), processed pastas (especially white pasta), processed cheese, microwavable food, etc. These are choked full of preservatives and have virtually no nutritional value to you.

How To Cook

Eating right means making your own food the right way.

Stay away from using your microwave. You need all the nutrients you can get!

When you microwave food, it loses its vitamin and nutrient values almost immediately. There is a reason why chefs don’t cook with microwaves; it ruins the taste and composition by being cooked too fast and too unnaturally.

Next step, try baking rather than frying. The slower a food is cooked (and especially meats) the more nutrient it will retain.

Eggs, for example, might be something you don’t want to bake, however, if you fry it, you end up losing almost all of the protein in it, compared to if you slow cook it into a jelly scramble.

Chicken and fish can be baked to retain all the good stuff your body is going to need. There is nothing better than eating the muscle of an animal when it comes to getting natural, healthy protein.

When To Eat

Simply put, eat when you are hungry. Before training, after training, morning or night, eating when you are hungry is the key when you start training.

This is not to say that you should eat all the time, but to listen to your body and its needs. Don’t eat because its meal time, or because you’re bored.

When you do feel hungry it means your body is working hard at using what you’ve last put into it, and needs more to keep on rolling.

The only eating rule to be aware of is that you should have something in you before training, and you should eat within an hour after training.

If you want to make improvements to your performance physically, it’s time to step up and start fueling your body what it needs!

The The Jump Manual is a great resource if you want to know more about improving your vertical jump, and all of the different aspects associated with it.

Being better at something means being an expert on it.

If you want to learn about how to improve your vertical jump, you have to know what you’re asking of yourself each time you push off the ground and reach for the sky.

Jumping, unlike performing a bicep curl, is complex and dynamic movement. This means that it involves several muscle groups, joints and bones.

In a jump, the brain’s central nervous system is also hard at work taking in information from sensory nerves, and continuously making motor adjustments at lighting fast speed.

A jump is one of the most complex movements the body can do, so no doubt, improving your jump in its technique and height should be a challenge.

The Central Nervous System (CNS)

How do your muscles know how far down to dip when you want to reach a particular height on the way up?

How do you measure your jump so that you don’t go too far to the left or right, and how do you time yourself to not leap into another player?

These are all the roles of the central nervous system. Often taken for granted by healthy people, without a well functioning CNS, our voluntary actions would be suddenly very difficult to perform.

The CNS is where it all begins. This is the part of your brain that controls movement, sends messages down your spinal cord and into the right nerve passageways to the muscles, telling them when and how to contract.

Reaching for your keyboard and typing a few letters without a second thought is the exclusive result of your CNS, as are all of the other voluntary movements we do.

The CNS is separated into two parts – the sensory system and the motor system. The sensory system senses information (through the eyes, skin, smell, etc) and takes it to the brain, which then sends out responses through the motor system.

All movements (aside from reflex’s) are generated at this center in the brain.

Try this experiment:

• Fill 2 glasses with different levels of water
• Set them out in front of you side by side
• Close your eyes and reach blindly for one of them
• Pick up the glass and bring it to your mouth to drink

Successful? How did you manage to do all that without crushing the glass, lifting it too high, spilling or dropping anything?

The answer is in your nervous system. Information is being passed so fast between your body structures without having to consciously think about all of them.

Biomechanics

Here is a simple analysis of a vertical jump, broken down into its chronological parts

• Both feet placed evenly on floor, arms at side
• Shoulders and core brace for movement
• Knees and hips bend, lowing body towards the floor
• Shoulders push arms backwards, arms bend at elbows
• Knees continue to bend to about 110 degrees, hips bend simultaneously to about 90 degrees
• Push feet evenly into the floor, arms swing straight above head, straighten knee and hips, toss head back

This simple and quick evaluation of a jump shows how many different joints are involved.

Every body part from the feet and ankles right up through the neck and head are working together to get your body to launch into the air. Without the engagement of all these parts, the jump will be lacking in height.

The muscles which are particularly involved in jumps are those in the calves, quadriceps, hamstrings, lower back and shoulders, all of which are actively contracting to produce movement.

The other muscles which are engaged are used in isometric contractions to stabilize your body, including your abs, upper back and neck.

Using Momentum In Vertical Jumps

Momentum is one of the biomechanical advantages used when in a jump.

In scientific terms, when preparing for a jump, we wind up by creating an action potential. There are many other activities which incorporate the same principle.

Take for example a pitch in baseball. The pitcher doesn’t just toss the ball with his shoulder. A whole wind up routine is used, incorporating the legs, hips and back, using the arm as somewhat of a sling-shot to get the ball to travel as fast as possible.

In a slap shot in hockey, the same principle applies. The only way to get the puck to go at the speed and distance it does is by winding the stick back, twisting at the shoulders and hips, and using this action potential that has been created.

Flicking an elastic rubber band means stretching it back to launch it forward.

These examples all point to the biomechanical nature of a jump. Its not just leaping upwards; finding the right technique when you wind up for a jump is equally as important.

Making the right technique a part of your habits will then be transferred into a game situation without having to think about it.

Making sense of all this may take some time, and you might want to have a look at a good resource, The Jump Manual, further explaining the principles here on the way we jump and how to train those specific parameters for the best results.

If you’re looking to improve your vertical jump, you have a lot to incorporate into your training routine. There is a wide range of techniques and components that must be included if you want to maximize results, and workout in the most efficient way possible.

Strength, balance, force, flexibility and power are just the training considerations that must be made.

Here, we’ll look at how you can train to increase your power and explosiveness.

Why Train Power And Explosiveness

The first step is understanding what power and explosiveness means in the training world.

Power is defined as the rate of travel over time. Explosiveness is just a component of that- how fast can your body react when you realize its time to jump on the court to snatch a rebound out of the air?

Notice how there are a few milliseconds of delay from the time you watch the play and are able to get into the air? Improving your height with the component of speed will be essential in getting to that ball first.

Reacting fast is just the half of it. The next part of power is being able to reach your max height as fast as possible. That is, the time it takes for your feet to leave the ground and then plateau, should be as short as possible.

Have you noticed when watching an NBA player jump they seem to just bounce up with no effort at all? By training for power you’ll be improving the very same skill.

The Science Behind It

The human body is made up of bones, fat, water and protein tissue. Muscle is made up of protein tissues, and are responsible for getting your around; pretty common knowledge.

But did you know that there are several types of muscle tissue fibers which are all responsible for a different type of contraction?

Type 1 muscle fibers have a different energy production capacity and a different speed of contraction than Type 2a and 2b. These are called ‘slow twitch muscle fibers’ and are the type used in the long term, especially for slow contractions, walking, jogging, etc.

Type 2a and type 2b are also known as ‘fast twitch muscle fibers’, and type 2b is responsible for the fastest, most powerful contractions you demand of your body. These are the ones elicited when you engage in an all out vertical jump.

It is imperative that when training to improve your vertical jump that you elicit these very muscle fibers in order to improve performance.

Training Techniques

Here is where it all comes together. You are all set to improve your power and explosiveness, and that means, training your fast twitch muscle fibers to contract every more powerfully and with greater strength.

Two very different training styles which are also the most popular can be used to do just this.

Plyometric Training

Plyometric training is a style that uses the whole body in an engaging dynamic movement.

To get an idea of what this means, contrast using a leg press to strengthen the quads to a one-legged lateral jump. Though the same muscles are contacting, the one-legged lateral jump will be many times more effected, even without loading any extra weight.

Plyometrics are fun and challenging, they engage the whole body, and in this sense, mimics playing the sport itself. Equipment is minimal, usually requiring just a few objects to do a lot of exercises.

Plyometrics also use the whole body, so rather than isolating a single muscle for a contraction and a single joint during the movement, you’ll be using your whole body together.

You’ll be engaging the right muscles and muscle fibers that would be involved in an actual jump, all getting trained at the same time.

The abs, muscles of the back, shoulders, butt, legs and all of their associated joints will be learning and adapting at the same time to improve power.

Olympic Lifting

Olympic weightlifting is often left out by untrained individuals.

On the other hand, almost all professional athletes, with the exception of distance runners, use the Olympic lifts to improve power and explosiveness. Any sport requiring short bursts of energy can benefit from weightlifting.

This training is made up of two basic lifts and their variations.

The first is the Snatch; in this movement, the athlete must pull the barbell from the floor in a single movement to overhead. The power and speed needed to complete this movement is unbelievable!

The second lift is called a Clean & Jerk. In this lift, the movement is broken into 2 parts, the Clean is from the floor to the shoulders, and the Jerk is boosting it over head. Can you imagine that 120lb athletes are able to lift twice their body weight overhead?

Training in Olympic lifting as a part of your power and explosiveness will really take you the distance. Weightlifting elicits exactly the right muscles that you’ll need in basketball- the lower body especially.

On the down side, it is difficult to learn the techniques of the lifts, which is important to avoid injury.

Tying It All Together

To improve your vertical jump, you’ll need to improve your power and explosiveness. This corresponds to a particular type of muscle fibers known as ‘fast twitch’.

Eliciting this kind of adaptation means training in plyometrics and in Olympic weightlifting. Remember to train hard, but safely, and you’ll be well on your way to improving your vertical jump!

For more ideas and explanations on how to train, you can also check out the Jump Manual.

It explains more about Olympic lifting and plyometrics and how you can cycle the right sessions between intensity and volume to get a higher vertical in the most effective way.

As the age ceiling for competitive sports continues to get lower, the question of “how young is too young to begin focused training programs” arises.

While there are two sides to every question, it all comes down to medical and scientific data, as well as the fact that no two people are alike.

Physical maturity levels differ based on each person – this is especially true in middle and high school arenas. Just look at freshmen during tryouts: they will run the gamut from gangly, uncoordinated youngsters to extremely coordinated and physically developed athletic specimens.

While the ages for high school freshmen, for example, typically are no more than a few months apart, the maturity from person to person can be radically different.

For this reason, determining an athlete’s readiness to take on a workout program needs to be case by case, with consideration for the overall age of the person involved.

Letting Kids be Kids

We have all seen it: first, second, and third graders (just to name a few) dragged to athletic events by overzealous parents, all determined to turn their son or daughter into the next Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods.

While there is nothing intrinsically wrong with kids being involved in athletics at such tender ages, the question needs to be asked: are the potential risks worth it?

There is a difference between moderate, age-appropriate activity and intense physical workouts that stretch the limits of what tine, growing bodies can and should take on.

The possibility for debilitating injury is great when muscles, joints, and bones are still forming and growing, so if you are serious about your young one taking on a serious workout program, be sure to consult with a doctor to make sure that they are physically up to the challenge.

Perfect Practice Makes Perfect

The phrase “practice makes perfect” is flawed, since the truth is that it takes more than just plain old repetition to ensure greatness down the line.

If what is being practiced is mechanically incorrect, for example, all that will happen is the cementing of incorrect muscle memory and practices into a young body.

In all actuality, it takes PERFECT practice to program the body to do something correctly in a repeated manner.

There is no reason why a young child cannot be taught to correctly jump –in fact, since they have no prior bad habits of poor mechanics to break, there is a very good argument for starting kids out with vertical jump training early in life, in an effort to instill proper technique and procedures to help them maximize their success later in life.

An Investment in the Future

The difficult thing about determining a “proper” age to begin athletic training lies along the fine line between what the child really wants and what they are truly physically ready to take on.

As parents, coaches, and trainers, it is the responsibility of the adult to help accurately assess a child’s readiness emotionally, mentally, and physically to take on something that will test the limits of their body.

If kids show a genuine interest in athletics and jump training, then it may very well be an activity that is a positive investment into their future.

Medically speaking, if the exercise is closely monitored, carefully taught, and adequately mixed with rest and nutrition, then jump training can safely be utilized at almost any age.

The Jump Manual is a unique, scientifically-based, how-to manual that gives you the edge when it comes to achieving maximum vertical jump and quickness.

It is not a magic solution; jumping higher takes hard work, discipline, focus, and drive. It is, however, a road map that will help you realize your full potential and reach your vertical jump goals, guaranteed.