Improve Vertical Jumping Training for Beginners

The vertical leap is one’s ability to propel their body through the air in the ver
tical plane. It’s an important ability for different sports, and most athletes loo
k to improve vertical jumping ability. Some of these sports include basketball,
volleyball, martial arts, football, and many more.
Factors that Affect Vertical Jump Height
There are many aspects that play a role in determining the height of a vertical
leap. The 4 central contributors are:
1. Tendon length, bone structure, muscle fiber composition, and similar. This is
usually refers to “genetics”.
2. Jumping technique and form.
3. Maximal muscular strength.
4. Rate of force development (Referred to as ROFD).
5. Reactive/Plyometric strength.
There is nothing you can do about the first factor, and so the only thing you ca
n do is make sure you’re eating healthy and keeping a low body fat percentage. The
second point concerning jumping technique is usually a non-issue for the majori
ty of people, but it’s always a good idea to make sure it’s done right which could p
ossibly provide an quick gain to your vertical, and is the easiest way to improv
e vertical jumping ability if form is the issue.
Improve Vertical – How?
The other points can be improved in an effort to increase your vertical jump.
Relative strength refers to the jumping muscles strength compared to your bodywe
ight. The muscles used in a deep back squat are the same used in a vertical jump
, and so it is universally believed that the ratio of your maximum full squat to
your bodyweight is one of the greatest factors in determining how hight your ve
rtical jump is. Furthermore, the deadlift involves these same muscles and more.
This makes it so that the first thing you need to check is your squat strength,
and follow it up by implementing deep back squats in your training regimen and c
omplement them with the deadlifts. As you go up in the weights you can squat and
deadlift, your vertical jump will start increasing
Rate of force development refers to power, which is also known as strength x spe
ed. In short, it’s the speed at which force can be produced, and is an important f
actor in your vertical jump. If you want to improve vertical jumping ability, th
en it is essential to include ROFD training by implementing explosive lifts that
are directly connected to vertical jumping. This is why I highly recommend incl
uding the Olympic lifts and their variations, such as the Power Clean and Power
Snatch.
Reactive strength or Plyometric strength is the ability to change quickly from a
n eccentric (stretching) to a concentric (shortening) contraction. If you have p
roblems switching from the yielding (eccentric) phase to the concentric phase in
your vertical leap, you will have a difficult time executing the leap powerfull
y , which means you will not jump very high. This is why, it is important to gro
w your Plyometric strength levels which is done by implementing some plyometric
exercises and possibly some reactive lifts in your training.
Considering all this, if you are serious about increasing your vertical jump, th
en it is important to look at the previous factors. Find your weaknesses and wor
k on them for a speedy way to improve vertical. When looking at reactive strengt
h, I highly recommend to be squatting 1.5 times your bodyweight or more before y
ou start including them in your routine. This gives you a good summary of what y
ou need to know to increase your vertical jump.
Joel Jamieson is a sport and fitness enthusiast and trainer currently focused on
providing the necessary information to improve vertical jumping ability for pro
fessional and recreational athletes in diverse sports at his blog: http://www.im
prove-vertical.org