FREE SVJ Program Description:
For the free standing vertical jump program, there are five different programs, based on experience and ability, including:
Youth Junior
Youth Senior
Adult Novice
Adult Intermediate
Adult Advanced
Firstly, there are two different age categories, Youth and Adult. We will use the Tanner Stage Calculator (click here) to determine if an athlete is an adult or not, as the calculator measures how far in puberty an athlete is with 5 different stages (1: Prepubertal, 2: Start of Puberty, 3: Middle of Puberty, 4: End of Puberty, 5: Adult). Some 15 year olds may be biologically 18 years old (Tanner Stage 4.5+), while other 15 year olds might be biologically 12 years old (Tanner Stage 2.5-). Youth is for athletes who score less than 4.0 on the Tanner Stage Calculator (typically males under 16 years old), while Adult is for athletes who score equal to or more than 4.0 on the Tanner Stage Calculator (typically males 16 years or older). Next, for the Youth category, there are two experience categories, Junior and Senior. The Junior program is for athletes with less than a year of deliberate, consistent jump practice or jump training. The Senior program is for athletes with a year or more of deliberate, consistent jump practice or jump training. Now on to the Adult programs, in which there are three different ability categories, Novice, Intermediate, and Advanced. The Novice category is for athletes with a max standing vertical jump less 0.6 x [Leg Height] (typically less than 0.33 x [Body Height]), the Intermediate category is for athletes with a max standing vertical between 0.6 x [Leg Height] and 0.8 x [Leg Height] (typically between 0.33 x [Body Height] and 0.44 x [Body Height]), the Advanced category is for athletes with a max standing vertical between 0.8 x [Leg Height] and 1 x [Leg Height] (typically between 0.44 x [Body Height] and 0.55 x [Body Height]). For example, a 20 year old 6’0 tall athlete with average 38 inch long legs would choose the Adult Novice program if their max standing vertical jump is less than 22.8 inches, would choose the Adult Intermediate program if their max standing vertical jump is between 22.8 inches and 30.4 inches, and would choose the Adult Advanced program is their max standing vertical jump is between 30.4 inches and 38 inches. If the athlete’s standing vertical is greater than 38 inches and still looking to improve, I would refer them to contact a professional coach (not me) who knows how to improve verticals that are that advanced.
For those who are confused on which program to pick, or don’t want to read my diatribe, I put a simple flowchart below to assist in picking the correct program to use at your convenience:
