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You Too Can Jump Higher

By: Thomas Haney 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 people say that they want to jump higher, they are basically saying they want to increase vertical leap. Professional and collegiate athletes typically 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 non-professional athletes--can use certain exercises to increase vertical leap. These exercises are generally split into strength training and power training.

Strength training involves hitting the gym and working on lower body exercises such as squats, lunges and leg presses. Make sure that you are putting in three to four days a week of weight training to build that strength foundation necessary to increase your jumping ability. If you want to jump higher, you have to put in the work!

Power training involves working on certain explosive power exercises to increase your vertical leap. A great exercise is jump roping. Although it may seem extremely basic, 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. Hit 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. To jump higher over time, do exercises where you repeatedly jump on and off these boxes, slowly increasing the height to maintain a challenging level.

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 be tough on your lower legs, especially your joints such as knees and ankles. Commit yourself to work hard and consistently do these exercises, and you will find that over time you begin to noticeably jump higher!

Article Source: http://www.lifeweightloss.com

Columnist Thomas Haney is an online journalist who covers issues relevant to sports. Check out jump-higher-now.com to read in depth reviews of the best jump training systems that teach you to increase your vertical jump. You may reprint this article for your own use provided you leave all links active.

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