Keys to Jumping Higher

Some coaches/evaluators see an individual that can jump out of the gym and instantly label them a "great" athlete or "very athletic." While there are many other things that go into being a good athlete (such as one's ability to fluently move throughout space), the height of one's jump can be a better indicator that you may think.

Let's break down the jump to individual body segments/muscle groups.



Knee: 49%
Hip: 28%
Ankle: 23%
Arm swing adds benefit of: 10-15%

As you can see, the muscle groups of the knee contribute the most to jumping performance. Also of note is the arm swing. Because of it's explosive nature, a jump can be aided by a downward swing of the arms as you load your hips.

So let's cut to the chase. What exercises will help improve my vertical jump? There is a long list of exercises you can do that will help (assuming you are using appropriate form). I'm just going to list a few here:

1. Squats

In the picture above, you can see how she is reaching back with her hips as she reaches forward with her arms to counter-balance her weight. It is important to note her knees in relation to her toes. Any time your knees go beyond your toes, you turn an exercise that is meant to develop your glutes/hamstrings into an extremely quad dominant movement. Try it out for yourself. If your knees continue to come forward during your squat, you should probably go ahead and call a surgeon, because you will need knee surgery before long (especially if you are squating with weight).

2. Jump Squats

The most important part of this exercise is the landing, in my opinion. You DO NOT want to land stiff-legged. On the left of the picture above is the starting position. On the right is the mid-point. Your ending position should look similar to the starting position. Again, make sure your knees are not going past your toes. As you jump, you are firing many different muscles in your lower extremities. As you land, your hips should go back and you should feel the back of your legs working.

*Note: Not everyone has the equipment necessary for the next two exercises. That is okay. I personally believe that you should be doing multiple reps (100+) without any weight added to make sure your form is perfect (or extremely close).

 3. Cleans

Cleans are another good exercise to improve your jump height. Again, make sure you have solid form (maybe even record yourself doing the lift and review it) before you attempt to add weight. Notice that all of the exercises thus far have a very similar position involved in each of them. This is because the ability to load your hips play a pivotal role in engaging the muscle groups required to achieve lift versus gravity.

4. Snatches

This is an excellent picture showing the proper progression of a snatch. You can see the start position has the athlete in a squat position with a flat back while grasping the bar. The pull segment is the most explosive portion of the exercise. As you throw the bar above your head, you should load your hips in a deep squat, then return to a tall standing position.

Did you notice anything repetitive about ALL of these exercises? You MUST be able to load your hips to engage the proper musculature/muscle groups. If you can train your body to correctly use these muscles, not only will your vertical jump improve, but you may also notice improvements in other areas. Almost all sports require an explosive movement. A swing in baseball/softball/tennis, a rebound in basketball, a throw in football/baseball/softball, a kick in soccer, etc. etc.

Please post any questions/comments below in the "Comments" section.