Great athletes always look for ways to get better at every aspect of the sport they play, and for some athletes, that means improving the explosion of their vertical leaps and jumps. Track and field, volleyball and basketball are three sports that require excellent jumping ability. By practicing certain drills along with a weight training program, competitors in those sports can experience large gains in their performance ability.
Drills
Doing drills to get a better vertical leap and jumping ability may not be a secret. The types of drills that work could be considered a secret, as they are very common and overlooked. According to Bestbasketballdrills.com, jumping rope can add explosiveness and strength to the calves, while running up and down stadium stairs can do the same. When running stadium stairs, the site advises athletes to concentrate on bounding from step to step instead of lazily lifting one foot and lifting it. Skipping stairs, or doing two at once, can eliminate the possibility of not building explosiveness.
Weight Training
Lifting weights will not provide instant benefits for athletes looking to get a higher jump on a more consistent basis. Over time, though, the benefits can shine through and last. The Sports Fitness Advisor website recommends three types of weight training to get a better vertical leap: traditional, dynamic and plyometric. Using traditional exercises like squats, lunges and leg presses with heavy loads and low repetitions will provide benefits for beginners, but the site states that experienced athletes will not see massive benefits to traditional training. Dynamic weight training emphasizes lighter loads but the athlete should accelerate the weight explosively, like power cleans and the clean and jerk. Plyometric exercises enable a muscle to reach maximum force in the shortest possible time by loading with a lengthening action followed immediately by a shortening action.
Rest
Doing exercises and drills to get a better vertical leap on a daily basis can actually hinder an athlete's progress toward outjumping all his opponents. Rest between exercise sessions is a vital part of an athletic training program and should not be ignored. A rule of thumb is to take one off-day in the middle of a five-day stretch of working out. And of the four workout days, two should be with heavy weight and low reps while the other two should be with light weight and lots of reps. Overuse can fatigue muscles and cause them to burn out, which will cause an athlete to lose much of his explosiveness when jumping.
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