MY TOP 5 EXERCISES FOR 2-LEG VERTICAL JUMP (IN ORDER)
1) Low Rim Dunking
2) Box Squat
3) Depth Jump over Hurdle
4) Accelerations (10-30m)
5) Power Clean
1) Low Rim Dunking
Description and Qualities Developed:
Low rim dunking qualifies as dunking on a rim height that is a fair bit lower (6”+ less) than the max height that an athlete can dunk on. Most professional dunkers can touch more than 11’6, which would mean that they can dunk on 10’9, and by this definition any rim lower than 10’3 would be a low rim to dunk on for them. Conversely, a shorter, less talented athlete may only be able to touch 10’, which would mean they can dunk on 9’3, and 8’9 would be a low rim to dunk on for them. Low rim dunking adds variety and fun to the monotony and cushions the mind of an athlete during the omnipresent plateaus of jump training. Dunking on low rims allows athletes to safely attempt trick dunks off the lob, off the dribble, and off the self bounce such as windmills, 360s, tomahawks, between the legs, reverse pumps, etc. Also, it allows athletes to develop jump balance and work on their off plant jumps. An athlete whose maximum touch comes off a double-leg right-left plant jump (like myself) might jump 6”+ less off their weaker single-leg jump off their right leg, and low rim dunking allows them to work on this issue in a fun manner where every jump is not a “test”. Low rim dunking also properly accommodates the fatigue that occurs during jump training mesocycles. It is common during max strength phases or GPP training with lots of endurance activities for athletes to lose up to 4”-6” off their max vertical, and during regular power and jump training cycles to lose 2”-4” off their max vertical. Repeatedly dunking on max height rims would not mesh well with this loss in vertical, as an athlete would lose confidence and motivation with the decrease in performance. Low rim dunking should be a staple in an athlete's goal to jump higher off two feet, as it builds timing, control, and aggression to an athlete’s jump over time.
Superiority to Alternatives:
Alternatives to low rim dunking for improving 2-leg vertical include max height touch jumps, hurdle jumps, and approach box jumps. Max height touch jumps include touching an overhead goal such as a rim, bell, or ceiling, and trying to get as high as possible on each jump. The problem with this approach is twofold. First off all, this approach gives feedback on every jump as to how high the athlete would jump, which is extremely mentally draining, and would be equivalent to a sprinter tracking sprint times every session or a powerlifter tracking bar speed on every set. Secondly, the monotony of this training approach would bore even the most determined athletes, as constantly touching a high target, or even worse, failing at touching an overhead target slightly out of an athlete’s reach would be an extremely boring training approach. Hurdle jumps are when an athlete jumps over a barrier, or hurdle, off two feet and landing on two feet after the jump. Hurdle Jumps fail since instinctively, an athlete gets off the ground much quicker when approaching a hurdle, often sacrificing jump height in order to bring their legs to their center of mass above the hurdle in order to clear the hurdle. A maximal height two foot approach jump typically has a ground contact time of 0.25-0.35 seconds but can reduce to under 0.25 seconds in a two-footed hurdle jump. Thus, the athlete is effectively training a style of jump that is quicker, but smaller in amplitude (jump height), which is not as beneficial as a primary exercise as dunking. Approach box jumps are simply too dangerous for most athletes to partake in safely. Padded foam boxes give the security of the athlete not “tripping” on the jump up, but often are not stable and are prone to falling over when the athlete lands on top. Metal plyometric boxes are the opposite, giving stability when the athlete is on top of the box, but if the athlete misses the box jump, watch out, for a ugly fall will occur.
2) Box Squat
Description and Qualities Developed
A box squat is a barbell squat in which an athlete lowers himself in a squatting motion onto a box of a height where the upper leg is at parallel to the ground or above, sits on the box, rocks back so the spine is perpendicular to the floor, then shoots up with the weight to a standing position. It is a momentum based lift, not done with a powerlifter style or a touch and go sprinter style. The powerlifter style is where the box is placed at a height below the sticking point of the lift, often below parallel, and the athlete does not rock back during the lift, making it effectively a pause squat. The touch and go sprinter style is where the box is placed at the minimum height where the lift can be performed safely and is often done with extremely heavy, supramaximal weights, so the box height is extremely high and the angle between the upper leg and the shins is extremely obtuse. The box is essentially used as a cue for depth for the athlete, so the athlete does not go any lower and fail the squat and injure themselves. Also, the athlete immediately explodes up in the touch and go style. Both these styles are not necessary for jumpers as a happy medium between strength and the use of the stretch reflex is used in a normal box squat. The box squat is a high neurally stimulating exercise since of the heavy weights, fast bar speeds, and high rate of force development (RFD) of the exercise. It develops the strength of the quadriceps, psoas, glutes, and erector spinae to a great degree in an athletic manner where muscles are working synergistically together. Box squats simulate the penultimate step within a two foot jump where both legs need to reverse momentum from eccentric to concentric in order to elevate one’s body mass. Box squats can either be done at low weight for high reps in beginner athletes to get them used to squatting fast under load, or with heavy weight in advanced athletes to aid in strengthening their regular back squat.
Superiority to Alternatives:
Alternative to box squats include the pin squat, belt squat, leg press, and leg extension. The pin squat fails as it is a purely concentric lift, and for most athletes will be an extremely slow, grinding lift at heavy weights. This grinding nature, although allowing for increases in maximal strength, would heavily slow down the CNS over time, and since jumping is a relatively fast movement, would cause an athlete to not produce forces quick enough. The pin squat would benefit more from a concentric motion such as a block start of a sprint, rather than the eccentric to concentric transfer during the penultimate of a two-leg jump. The belt squat fails since of equipment limitations, as conventional setup is arduous and belt squat machines are costly. Also, it does not train the stretch reflex as well as the box squat. The leg press and leg extension fail since they do not work the leg muscles synergistically, with the quads, glutes, and hamstrings firing separately and not in an athletic manner, as they are a machine lift and are not done in an athletic, standing position.
3) Depth Jump over Hurdle
A depth jump over a hurdle is a jump in which an athlete steps off an elevated box, lands on the ground, jumps after contact with the ground over a hurdle of a certain height, often higher than the box height, and lands on two feet past the hurdle, shown below.
Depth jumps are a form of “overspeed” training where the athlete trains the stretch shortening cycle of the jump with the added stimulus of dropping from a box, which due to the velocity of the drop, causes immense forces on the lower body. The athlete has to quickly reverse the momentum from the drop and propel their body upwards. The addition of the hurdle after depth jump forces the athlete to get off the ground fast but also jump fairly high in order to get over the hurdle. The athlete will either tuck their knees or use a straddle technique in order to get over the hurdle. The landing after clearing the hurdle forces the athlete to learn how to land with high forces and in awkward positions, as well as strengthening the eccentric contraction of the lower body muscles. The hurdle height is often higher than the elevated box height, but as the elevated box height increases, the hurdle height decreases, since it is harder to jump high off a large drop. For those who can’t visualize this, imagine jumping off the top of a school bus, you would barely be able to land, most likely breaking your legs, forget rebounding off the ground and jumping again! The depth jump hurdle develops the qualities of the penultimate, plant, takeoff, and landing of the jump, as well as forcing the quadriceps to act in an explosive, powerful manner. The landing on the ground before the hurdle can also be done in a staggered manner to simulate a two-leg approach jump.
Superiority to Alternatives:
Alternatives to the depth jump over hurdle include depth drops, depth jumps for height, and single leg depth jumps. Depth drops occur when an athlete jumps off an elevated box and sticks the landing, similar to gymnastics, when landing on the ground. They are often used to help athletes land properly and produce force quickly, as there is no such thing as “absorbing” force, which means an athlete has to produce force to stop their body’s motion. Depth drops fail since they are entirely eccentric in nature and are hard to progress on, as it is a feel exercise and it is hard to know from the landing whether the athlete stuck the landing well enough. Depth jumps for height fail as they are often not quick enough in ground contact times to transfer well enough to a two-leg approach jump, and model more a standing vertical jump. Single-leg depth jumps fail since most athletes are not proficient enough in jumping for this exercise to add any value. An athlete with an approach jump of less than 0.35 times their body height might be jumping less than a foot on this exercise and an athlete with an approach jump of less than 0.5 times their body height might be jumping less than a foot and a half on this exercise, which is not sufficient enough for adaptation.
4) Accelerations (10-30m)
Description and Qualities Developed:
Accelerations are extremely short sprints in which an athlete tries to run a short distance in the quickest time they can. The rate at which an athlete increases their sprint velocity, or accelerates, determines how well they perform this exercise, rather than the top speed an athlete reaches, since 10-30m is often too short a distance for an athlete to reach max velocity. Accelerations develop proper mechanics of the approach of a jump, as well as increase the rate of force development of the quadriceps, glutes, and hamstrings of an athlete. The faster an athlete can approach a jump, the more potential they have to convert horizontal momentum to vertical momentum, and jump a higher height. The 10m-30m distance assures the athlete is working on getting to top speed in as few strides and as fast as possible, mimicking a two-foot approach jump where an athlete likely has between 3-7 steps to jump their highest. Accelerations also speed up the central nervous system and shift muscle fibers more in the fast twitch direction due to the stride rate being extremely quick (CNS) and ground contact times being fairly short (0.15-0.2 seconds). Paired with depth jumps, accelerations allow athletes to peak out their performance when they back off heavy strength such as cleans and squats.
Superiority to Alternatives:
Alternatives to accelerations include weighted or resisted sprints, sprints of 30-60m, and even backpedaling. Weighted or resisted sprints fail since the mechanics used in a weighted sprint is dissimilar to any other athletic movement, as the torso becomes almost parallel to the ground and the athlete will often stomp their feet to gain ground during a weighted sprint. Additionally, since of the long ground contact times during a weighted sprint, it is essentially a far inferior strength exercise than anything done in the weight room. Sprints of 30-60m fail to develop the qualities in the approach of a jump like a traditional acceleration of 10-30m, due to being run at much higher velocities than an approach of a jump off two feet. Sprints of 30-60m also use much quicker ground contact times than a two-footed jump. Backpedaling does develop the power of the lower body but the speed an athlete can backpedal is much slower than a forward sprint, as a result the forces generated are much lower than we would want out of a high velocity plyometric exercise like a sprint.
5) Power Clean
Description and Qualities Developed:
A power clean is a dynamic compound lift in which a weighted barbell is raised from the floor, thrown from the thighs or hips, and caught on the traps in a front rack position, in a parallel squat or greater position. The power clean is a simplified version of the clean and jerk lift that is used in the sport of weightlifting. The range of motion on this lift is quite long, as the bar goes from the floor to the traps of the athlete. It is a momentum-based lift, and the velocity the bar is pulled from the floor to the thighs and the velocity after contact with thighs mainly determines the success of the lift, as long as technique is sufficient. The power clean works the posterior and anterior chain of the lower body, such as the quadriceps, glutes, erector spinae, and hamstrings, in an explosive manner, as they have to produce relatively high forces relatively quickly. The power clean is primarily an exercise to build strength, however is often an accurate measure of fatigue and leg power in an athlete, as sufficient bar velocity is needed to complete the lift.
Superiority to Alternatives:
Other alternatives to the power clean include the clean pull, power snatch, jump squat, med ball overhead throw, and kettlebell swing. Jump squats fall short since it is not outcome based, as there is no accurate way to monitor jump height with increasing load. With a power clean, the success or failure of the lift at a given weight provides feedback to the athlete on the force that they generated during that lift. Overhead medicine ball throws can be tracked on the distance thrown upwards by calculating air time, but is hard to incrementally improve on the exercise, as medicine balls typically only vary from 0-30 lbs. Also, medicine ball throws are too light to develop strength and too slow to develop explosiveness for jumping. The kettlebell swing falls short since there is a large decelerative component to the lift, to make sure the kettlebell does not rise more than parallel. Heavy kettlebell swings can also injure the back on the eccentric or lowering portion of the lift due to the added momentum. The power snatch fails since of the mobility requirement needed to complete the lift, as well as the fact that lighter weights at faster speeds are used. The two-foot approach jump is more force than speed dependent, and the power clean trains force better than the power snatch. Finally, the clean pull, which is the most similar lift to the power clean. The clean pull has no outcome to the lift, unless a bar speed tracker is present. Also, its effectiveness varies much from person to person, as people with a lot of hip power will be able to launch supramaximal loads (100-120% of the power clean) on the bar high, while those without much hip power will be come defeated as the lift essentially turns into a speed deadlift. As such, it fails, since intent is not higher than a power clean, where there is an outcome (whether the athlete racks the bar or not).
Justification for the Order:
The order:
1) Low Rim Dunking
2) Box Squat
3) Depth Jump over Hurdle
4) Accelerations (10-30m)
5) Power Clean
The order includes the jumping movement itself (#1), an upper quadriceps and gluteus strengthening exercise (#2), a quadriceps, gastrocnemius, and gluteus speed and power exercise (#3), a hamstring and gluteus speed exercise (#4), and a lower body explosive power exercise (#5). Jumping obviously is the most important exercise for improving jumping performance, thus takes the #1 spot with low rim dunking, which is more suited for two-footed jumping. After that, strength is the most lacking quality in most athletes looking to improve their double leg jump, and the box squat improves strength in athletes the fastest without negative adaptations such as excessive muscle size, soreness, or slowing down the nervous system. The depth jump over hurdle teaches an athlete to produce force for a jump quicker, and the overspeed element of dropping off a box provides a novel stimulus that works in conjunction with low rim dunking to build jump reflexiveness. Depth jumps are less necessary than strength and practicing jumping, thus come in at #3. Accelerations help an athlete build the speed they need in the approach of a jump as well as handle higher approach speeds into the penultimate of their jump. It can be debated that accelerations should be more important than depth jumps due to being directly similar to a portion of an approach jump off two legs (the approach); however, approach speed is not as important as the penultimate in an approach two-leg jump, as most jumpers can jump 95% of max height off of just three steps for two-leg approach jumps. Rounding out the list at #5, we have the power clean. Power exercises are not necessary for jump improvement, training the opposite ends of the spectrum (speed and strength) can be all most athletes need, but the power clean is a happy medium of both. It is less important than accelerations, depth jumps, jumping, and squatting both can provide an accurate approximation of power and fatigue in an athlete when performed maximally with good technique.