After you build muscles, you'll want to train them for sport-specific movements. For jumping, that means training with explosive and reactive power exercises. You will work with and without weights as you train yourself to jump higher using exercises that mimic some of the movements of a jump. Plan your training to improve explosive power first, then reactive power closer to your season.
Explosive Power
Explosive power is a quick, powerful movement in one direction. You perform explosive power exercises using one rep at a time, and perform six to eight reps before moving on to the next exercise. You'll need explosive power for many sports. For example, football players use explosive power to get off the line at the start of a play, while baseball, basketball and tennis players use this power to make the first step toward a ball.
Reactive Power
Reactive power, also called plyometric power, occurs with the coordination of two muscles or muscle groups. For example, a volleyball player bends downward at the knees before straightening and jumping upward for a spike. The same is true for a basketball player making a slam dunk or a tennis player serving.
Explosive Power Exercises
Classic explosive power exercises include deadlifts and box squats. For deadlifts, lower yourself keeping your torso straight. Lift the weight straight up, using your legs, hips and buttocks, keeping your torso straight. For box squats, begin by sitting on a box with a barbell on your shoulders. Stand straight up, using your legs to propel you upward. Try the exercise with no weight the first time to determine where you should sit to avoid injuring your back. Box jumps are another familiar exercise for improving vertical jump. Stand in front of a box approximately knee height, and jump onto it with both feet. As you get better, raise the height of the box. Vary this exercise by placing one foot on the box, and pushing yourself up in the air with the raised leg.
Reactive Power Exercises
A familiar reactive drill is the depth jump. Stand on a box, jump off, then jump off the ground as high as you can. Vary this drill with shock jumps. Jump off a box equal to your current vertical leap, then "stick" a landing, keeping yourself upright without your heels touching the ground. Ankle jumps are simple hops you perform without letting your heels touch the ground. Keep your knees straight and pull your toes up while you're in the air. Giant steps across a gym or field are another example of a plyometric exercise. Add weight to plyometric training using reactive squats. Perform 1/2-squats using 15 to 50 percent of your maximum weight, jumping back up after you go down.
Stretching
Perform dynamic stretches before your workout and static stretches after. Dynamic stretches are quick, repetitive movements such as skipping or arm swings. Bending down to touch your toes and holding that stretch for 20 seconds or more is an example of static stretching. Holding a stretch can desensitize your muscles for up to 30 minutes, decreasing power and vertical leap.
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