You can improve your vertical jump through training, although the amount of improvement depends, to a large degree, on your body type. Although it's impossible to get a true measurement of your body's fast-twitch muscle and slow-twitch muscle ratio, physical performance is a good indicator. People who are good marathon runners, long-distance cyclists or endurance swimmers tend to be Type-I, or slow-twitch-muscle, dominant. Sprinters and leapers usually have more fast-twitch, or Type II, muscle fibers. To increase vertical leap, improving your fast-twitch muscle performance is key, although you'll need to do so in conjunction with Type-I muscle endurance factors.
Jumping Rope
Jumping rope combines aerobic and anaerobic conditioning. Your body is constantly transitioning between aerobic and anaerobic fuel-burning. Jumping rope not only increases fast-twitch muscle performance, but it also increases stamina. This means that if you want to increase vertical-jump performance when playing basketball, for instance, your vertical leap will be better in the fourth quarter as well as the first quarter.
Knee Bends
You can perform knee bends in several ways, starting with simple bends. Hold your hands on your hips, keep your back straight and perform a full squat, lowering your posterior nearly to the floor. Increase the fast-twitch effect of knee bends by performing your squat and then exploding out of the crouch as high as you can. Gather yourself, crouch slowly and repeat the exercise. Do sets of 15 or 20 and slowly, over a period of weeks, increase your repetitions and sets.
Lunges
Lunges combine fast-twitch exercise for your thigh muscles, calves and hamstrings while providing the added benefit of stretching the muscles -- especially your hamstrings. Incorporate lunges into your knee-bend exercises by squatting, exploding into a jump, landing and lunging. In doing so, you'll be combining fast-and slow-twitch muscle exercises, working on both endurance and explosion.
Toe Raises
Start on a flat surface, such as a gym floor, and then move to a raised level on which only the front halves of your feet are on a platform, such as a step. It's similar to a diver positioning herself backwards on a diving board. These exercises isolate your calf muscles. Adding weight will also improve strength and explosion, and many weight machines mimic this calf exercise.
Level Jumps
Jump from one level to a higher level, such as on bleacher steps. For maximum benefit, combine various exercises, such as squats and explosion jumps. Most vertical-leap exercises are a form of plyometrics, in which muscles are forced into an eccentric or lengthening action, immediately followed by a shortening (concentric) motion.
Hip Exercises
Incorporate hip exercises into any vertical-leap improvement regimen to keep your hip-flexor muscle groups flexible. The thigh-flexor muscle group consists of seven muscles, on both sides of your body, affecting your hips, back and thighs. Great leapers tend to have well-developed and flexible hips. Leg kicks (front and side) and "butt-kickers" all aid in hip strength and flexibility.
Weight-Suit Training
Combine any or all of your exercises with weights to rev up the intensity. For example, use a weight suit to gradually add weight to squat-and-explosion exercises.
Weight Lifting
Don't neglect any standard weight-training program you've established. Upper body strength and abdominal conditioning -- sit-ups or crunches -- both aid in vertical-leap movement.
Basketball Weight Drills
Incorporate minor weights in traditional basketball drills, such as lay-ups, sprinting and jump shooting. People normally want to increase their vertical leap for a reason, such as playing competitive basketball.
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