Ways to Jump Higher: Almost every athlete would love to be able to find ways to jump higher. Many have found themselves envying other competitors who seem to out-jump them at every turn, and find that every attempt they make to increase their own vertical leap always ends in failure.
Some may have almost given up hope and simply resigned themselves to the status of the penguin and other flightless birds. With the right training, however, every athlete can soar with the eagles.
Ways to Jump Higher: #1 Fact!
- It begins in the mind
For most athletes, the first place to begin is with the mind. There are a variety of mental blocks that can prevent athletes from attaining their full potential. Many have become so accustomed to falling short of their goals that they subconsciously sabotage their own efforts at improvement. To overcome these blocks, athletes must learn to visualize themselves performing those feats they see others accomplish.
The athlete who cannot picture himself dunking a basketball is almost assured of never physically accomplishing that goal. The mind can place limitations on the capabilities of the body. Every athlete who wants to increase his physical capabilities must first shake himself loose from the shackles of his own mind. This can be started with a regimen of simple visualization exercises each day.
Beginning immediately, the athlete should set aside fifteen minutes to one-half hour each day and spend that time imagining himself leaping into the air. He should learn to visualize himself dunking that basketball through the rim. This visualization must be repeated until it becomes so ingrained in the mind that the athlete no longer doubts that the feat can be accomplished.
Ways to Jump Higher: Finding the physical strength!
At the same time, that athlete must focus on training his body so that he develops the explosive strength necessary to accomplish the feat in the physical world. Though he should train his legs with standard weightlifting exercises, he should also focus on plyometric routines that can develop the fast-twitch muscle fibers necessary for the type of explosive power and speed he needs.
- Leap ups build lower body explosive power
Leap ups are a variation of squat jumps, and are a great way to train the body for jumping. The movement begins in a squatting position, similar to that employed by the catcher on a baseball team.
The athlete should inhale in this position and then exhale as he explodes upwards into a jump. As the jumping motion is performed, he should swing his arms upward for momentum, and reach as high as possible at the top of the jumps.
- Box jumping
Another excellent exercise for developing explosive strength is the box jump. This can be accomplished in one of two ways. For the first, stand in front of a sturdy box or chair and jump up onto it in an explosive motion, then immediately step back down to the starting position. Alternatively, the athlete can begin on the box, step off quickly and then explode back onto it.
- Why they work
Both of these exercises, as well as other types of plyometric activities, work by using a two-stage process. The first is the loading stage, during which tension is placed directly on the muscles of the quadriceps and calves.
That tension is then forcibly released in the exploding stage as the athlete bursts from the loaded position into his leap. Taken together, these two stages work to stimulate the fast twitch muscle fibers that must be strengthened to create the explosive power every athlete needs.
Ways to Jump Higher: Supplementing the physical!
In addition to mental and physical exercises, there are several other key elements that have to be in balance for any training program to be effective. Every athlete must receive the nutrients necessary to foster proper muscle growth, as well as the rest necessary to ensure that his muscles have an opportunity to properly heal after strenuous exercise. Without adequate nutrition and rest, no real growth or progress can occur.
He must also have the flexibility necessary for explosive demonstrations of power, to prevent him from overextending muscles and ligaments. Moreover, he must take the time to learn the proper form for jumping, which includes the appropriate use of arm movements to increase balance and provide additional momentum during any vertical lift.
When all of these elements are brought together in a consistent training program, any athlete can make major strides toward increasing his jumping ability. Athletes who are able to overcome their mental blocks and learn to train their minds and bodies properly will find that they have discovered one of the best ways to jump higher.



