Vertical Leap Program

Most aspiring athletes at some point in their playing days will need to improve their vertical leap. It doesn’t matter if you are a football or basketball player, a good vertical leap program can be your best friend. The first thing you must know is that this vertical leap program is not for the weak and timid. You must be willing to push your lower body to its limits while still keeping your upper body in shape for your sport.

Before you begin to put to practice some of the tips list below, remember to stretch before, during and after each workout. Stretching reduces the risk of injury and nobody wants to work for six weeks to get an extra four inches on their vertical jump only to tear an ACL muscle in their knee. So, please be careful.

Start your vertical leap program by spending a few minutes with a jump rope. The jump rope increases stamina and helps stretch out the lower half of the body. Next, you want to do some sprints back and forth along a hardwood floor. You could sprint on grass, but bear in mind, all vertical leap tests are done in hardwood gymnasiums, so it’s best to do all your workouts in a gymnasium. Do enough wind sprints until you feel you have done enough. You’ll be able to tell when your calves burn a little. This is normal. Finally, run up a flight of stairs a number of times. If you do not have access to stairs, use a stair machine. Remember to only run up, and walk down. This is simply a safety precaution. There is no use for an athlete who can jump three inches higher than the rest of the class, but has a broken neck.

Now, you can go onto the actual leaping portion of your new vertical leap program. Using a platform, which should be available at every good gym, start by putting both feet on the edge of the platform. Jump off backwards and jump back on very quickly a total of ten times. Stop after your tenth, rest for a minute and do this again. You should do three total sets of this exercise.

This next vertical leap program step sounds more confusing than it is. Set your right foot onto the platform, leaving the left foot on the ground. Push off into a leap with your right foot and land with the right foot on the ground and the left one on the platform this time around. Alternate your feet like this ten times in a total of three sets.

The final vertical leap program exercise you should know is actually quite simple. In this exercise, you are literally just performing the vertical leap that coaches and scouts will ask to see of you. Do about ten of these mock leaps per workout and keep a log of your results to make sure that you are progressing.

The lower body should not be pushed more than five times a week because it requires more rest than the upper body in order to build muscle and progress. Good luck to anyone who wants to make their vertical leap program a way of life.