Don’t Lose Hope And Find A Strong Vertical Jumping Program
One of the biggest keys to training in sports like basketball and volleyball is having a strong vertical jumping program to follow. The vertical jump is important to many areas in these sports, so training the ability is crucial to success.
Vertical Jumping Program For The Sporty In You
Think of the vertical jump in basketball. Many facets of the game require a strong vertical jumping ability. Rebounding, shot blocking, scoring in the paint, and the jump shot are some examples. Without having a strong vertical jumping program, you would be putting yourself at a major disadvantage in the sport of basketball.
Similarly, volleyball relies on a strong vertical jump to both spike the ball on the offensive side and block a spike attempt on the defensive side. A good vertical jumping program can give you a solid advantage versus your competition in volleyball.
So let’s direct our attention to the qualities of a good vertical jumping program.
For one, you must identify the muscle groups and movements to be targeted. The primary movement involved in jumping vertically is extension of the hip joint. The main muscle involved in the movement is the gluteus maximus. A secondary movement of importance is plantar flexion of the ankle. The primary muscles involved in said movement are those found in your calves.
So you want to focus your training on the glutes and calves, with primary focus on hip extension.
Also, you also want to focus on two specific types of training–strength and power.
Strength training is important for the initial part of the jumping motion, or the initial acceleration. This is what gives you the force necessary to work against the external force of gravity by pushing off the ground.
The key to strength training is heavy resistance, low repetitions, and fast movement. You want to move the resistance as quickly as possible while still performing the exercise with proper form and not risking safety.
Squats, single-leg squats, and deadlifts are great hip extension exercises in which you can use heavy resistance. Be sure, of course, to use proper form and have the necessary core strength to execute the lifts safely.
For ankle plantar flexion, toe raises are a good strength building exercise.
The more important phase of a good vertical jumping program, however, is the power phase. This is when you will be training explosively. This is when you work on taking your acceleration and increasing the velocity throughout the movement.
Here your focus will be jumping explosively with light resistance and low repetitions. You want to keep the speed through the movement high.
Squat jumps, single-leg squat jumps, box jumps, long jumps, toe hops, and depth jumps are great exercises to train your vertical jump explosively for sports like basketball and volleyball.
Remember, the key to a vertical jumping program is to get yourself to apply a greater force through the ground so that you can propel yourself more explosively against gravity.
And the bottom line is you cannot be successful in basketball or volleyball without a quality vertical jumping program.
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