Learn How to Jump Higher: Millions of athletes around the world would love to learn how to jump higher than their competitors. Jumping is an integral part of many different types of sporting activities, and is a skill that is prized by athletes, fans, and commentators alike. Almost every spectator has at one time or another found himself in awe of some athlete’s ability to leap high into the air with reckless abandon.
Learn How to Jump Higher: Facts to know!
Indeed, many of the most well-known athletes on the planet have thrilled their fans with these exploits. From the aerial acrobatics of the most popular basketball stars to the amazing aerial feats performed by the top gymnasts and the seemingly impossible one-handed football catches made by the best receivers in that sport, these jumps have often seemed to defy the laws of gravity.
It is no wonder then that so many young athletes, and even more seasoned veterans, find themselves continually looking for new means by which to increase their own vertical lift.
The skill is one that must be learned and trained, because few athletes are born with a natural ability to propel their bodies several feet into the air. For most, it is a skill that must be faithfully developed over many years.
Learn How to Jump Higher: The fundamentals!
- Strength lies at the heart of this ability to elevate one’s body.
Of course, if strength were all that were required, then every offensive lineman in football and every competitive weightlifter would be able to match the aerial skills of the best basketball players. The kind of strength those athletes possess, however, is only one-half the overall strength needed for an impressive vertical jump.
Most athletes who train for power focus on routines that only affect the slow-twitch fibers of the major muscle groups. These fibers are responsible for those feats that require a great deal of power sustained for long periods of time.
A good example of this type of strength is found in the long-distance runner. He is often slow to leave the gate and seldom impresses anyone with his speed, but has the strength and endurance required to run for many miles at a time.
- On the other hand, there is the sprinter.
His stock in trade is the type of speed that relies upon explosive strength. He can literally burst off the starting blocks and run at speeds few other athletes can hope to match. However, he can only do this for short periods of time. Instead of the miles of distance that the long distance runner can traverse, the sprinter manages only a few yards.
The reason for that is that the sprinter does not have the endurance strength provided by the slow-twitch muscles. Instead, he has spent his life training the fast twitch muscles that produce explosions in power. This explosive strength is required for all types of athletic endeavors that involve short bursts of power and speed. It is the very type of strength needed by athletes who want to increase their jumping ability.
Learn How to Jump Higher: Building this power!
Athletes who want to train for the purpose of developing this kind of explosiveness need to focus on routines that develop both slow and fast twitch muscle fibers.
For most, this will help to ensure that they have the endurance necessary to maintain physical activity during a game or competition, while also being capable of the tremendous bursts of power necessary for impressive jumps and other athletic feats.
To accomplish these goals, they need to develop a comprehensive training regimen that consists of resistance training for the slow twitch fibers, as well as plyometric exercises to develop those fast twitch muscle fibers. The resistance training is simple. Squats, calf raises, leg presses, and other leg strengthening exercises are already well-understood by most athletes.
- Plyometric exercise may be less familiar to many younger athletes.
Tuck jumps, hurdle jumps, and squat jumps are among the most commonly used exercises in this methodology. In almost every case, the focus should be on maximum intensity during each jump, rather than on a high quantity of repetitions. When done properly, these plyometric routines can effectively unite strength and speed to produce the explosion of power that jumping athletes require.
Athletes should always seek out a quality coach or trainer familiar with these developmental methods to ensure that they have a sound routine that they can follow.Trainers can also better evaluate progress and ensure that the athlete is held accountable to his own goals. When approached with the right commitment and intensity, these methods can help any athlete to learn how to jump higher.



