Jump Training Exercises

Jack be nimble

Jack be quick

Jack jumped over

the candle stick

You to can be Jack...

You can be a Jumping Jack

Here's a bunch of highly effective and simple exercises to do that'll add to your vertical.

Note: if you are like me and were asked, "How high can you jump?", you are probably like me.  You do not know.  The Preliminary "Exercise" which follows is to establish the answer to that question so later you can measure your jumping improvement.

Preliminary "Exercise"

Where are you NOW?

Before you start into these jump training exercises establish what you can do this way

• Stand facing a brick or block wall
• From standing position, jump as high as you can touching the wall with your right hand
• Repeat jump 5 times noting average height reached
• Measure height reached and record (mentally if you wish) average height achieved and date accomplished it on.

Now you have (out of this preliminary "exercise") your current jumping capabilities.

Opening note: No exercise will do you any good developmentally unless your muscles are strained by the exercise.  It is when you stress/strain a muscle that it has an incentive to grow.  Hence when doing the following exercises do the number of repetitions required to cause you to be REALLY WORKING (straining) on your last repetition.  You need to "feel" the exercises effect on your body.  Push yourself...but...push only to stretch your muscle development.  Do not over exert and tear muscles as tearing them will retard your development.  Jump such that you "jump" the fine line between self development and self destruction.

Permission to copy these exercise is given to anyone so desiring to do.

Exercise One:  Standing Jump

This is almost the same as the "Preliminary Exercise"

• Stand facing a brick or block wall
• From standing position, jump as high as you can touching the wall with your right hand
• Repeat jump 10 times
• Repeat jump 10 times touching wall with left hand
• 20 jumps constitute one repetition of this exercise
• Do 3, 4, or 5 repetitions
• Add to repetitions as muscles permit
• Drop this exercise for more advanced strenuous ones as you develop
• Eventually adding weight in hand not reaching to touch wall will extend usefulness of this exercise

Exercise Two:  Line Jump

An easy exercise to start with

• Find a line on the ground/gym floor
• Start by standing with two feet together and parallel to the line
• Dip slightly and jump over the line
• Land with two feet together
• Jump back over the line - feet together
• Just jumping over the line will not help you - jump as far laterally/across the line as you can.  The height of the jump with the sideways/lateral push will be what helps the jump muscles to grow
• Each back and forth jump represents one repetition
• Start with 5 or more repetitions
• Add to number of repetitions as muscles develop 
• Drop this exercise for more advanced strenuous ones as you develop
• Eventually adding a weight in each hand will extend usefulness of this exercise

Exercise Three:  Toe Press

• Find a set of stairs/steps
• Standing at the bottom
• Step up onto the first step with both feet 
• Position feet so only soles and toes are on the step, i.e., your heel and instep are hanging over the edge of the step
• Rise up onto your toes as high as you can
• Lower yourself till soles are fully on step again
• One up and down on toes constitutes a repetition
• Increase repetitions till you are able to do 250 repetitions at a time
• (Within one year, if this exercise is done daily, you will increase you vertical jump by at least 6 inches)
• Eventually adding weight in each hand or something like a 5 or 10 Kg bag of potatoes in your arms will extend usefulness of this exercise and reduce the number of repetitions required (as 300 is ridiculous and boring)

Exercise Four:  Rebound Jump

• Start with a Milk Crate - progress to using a chair
• Place crate/chair out about three feet from the wall
• Stand on crate/chair
• Jump to floor
• Immediately on landing jump upward attempting to touch as high on the wall as possible
• Swing arms upward on upward jump off floor to gain maximum height for touch on wall jump
• Each jump is one repetition
• Eventually adding weight in each hand will extend usefulness of this exercise

Exercise Five:  Skipping

• Jump rope as quickly as possible
• One repetition consists of:

A) 5 jumps on both feet,

B) 5 jumps on right foot, and

C) 5 jumps on left foot

Exercise Six:  Squat Jump

• Position yourself under the net attached to the basket
• Assume squat position - arms at sides
• From squat position jump upward touching side of net as high as possible.  (Do not hook fingers in net as you can get hurt doing so.  Just touch the net.)
• Swing arms upward on jump to gain maximum height for touch
• On landing immediately assume squat position and go back up so jumping is continuous
• Each jump is one repetition
• Initially you may be only able to do a few jumps.  With practice the number of jumps can be increases rapidly.
• Eventually adding weight in each hand will extend usefulness of this exercise

Exercise Seven:  V-Sit-ups

• Lie face up on the floor
• Legs straight out and together
• Extend arms along floor over your head
• Together raise arms, torso (upper body) and legs so only your bum is touching the floor
• On rise form "V" with body and legs and extend arms forward to touch your toes
• Each "V" is one repetition
• NOTE ONE - Arms, torso, and legs MUST be raised at the same time to avoid unnecessary and undue stress on the lower back
• NOTE TWO - you will feel increased tension in the abdominal muscles with this exercise
• NOTE THREE - If you have lower back problems, or weak abdominal muscles, regular bent knee sit-ups should be done instead

Exercise Eight:  Split Jump

• Begin in semi-squat position, with arms at sides
• Jump upward swinging both arms up and out
• As legs straighten, lift and spread them parallel to the floor in a split position
• At same time, while in the air, bend body at waist with arms extended outward trying to touch your toes
• Repeat rapidly with not hesitation between jumps
• Each jump is one repetition

Exercise Nine:  Crunchers

• Place gymnastics mat on floor with one edge touching the wall
• Lie face up on the mat
• Place soles of feet flat on wall with chins parallel to the floor
• Adjust body distance from wall so angle at the knees is 90 degrees or less
• Cross arms over chest and hence grab opposite shoulders with your hands
• Execute sit-ups, sitting up as far as possible each time, before returning to lying position
• Each sit-up is one repetition

Exercise Ten:  Elastic Jump

• Loosely stretch elastic between two chairs three feet apart.  Start with the elastic 6 inches off the floor
• Stand sideways beside the elastic and jump sideways over the elastic
• Jump back over to starting position
• Once you're accustomed to the exercise get weights to hold in your  hands as you jump the elastic
• Jump over and back without pause between jumps
• Each over and back is one repetition
• Raise height of elastic to match your jumping ability
• With weights and height adjustments three to five repetitions should be all you can do of this exercise at a time

Exercise Eleven:  Jumping With A Ball

• Toss the ball high up off the backboard (challenge yourself by tossing ball in such a way as to have it hit the rim on the way down - this will help you better learn to time your jump under varying conditions)
• Assume crouched position from toss
• Time jump to catch ball at peak of jump with arms outstretched
• Land with feet spread wide
• Pulling ball to right or left shoulder
• Pivot toward nearest sideline on landing and if partner is available outlet the ball
• Each rebound is one repetition

Exercise Twelve:  Run Stairs

• Run up and down stairs
• This is a good conditioning exercise as well

Exercise Thirteen:  Everywhere

• Everywhere you go jump
• Try and touch the ceiling or top of a door jam
• Try and touch a high branch in a tree
• Just jump, jump, jump - though single jumps are less developmental than rapidly repeated jumps

Jumping is like flying...

maybe

You can be a Bird too

or maybe

An air Jordan tomorrow.