Best way to work on vertical jump?

Question

Hey.. i'm in volleyball, six foot, middle blocker. just need to get myself over the net alittle more.. any advice? [workouts etc.]

Answer 1

Plyometrics and playing in the sand will help.  Work on your technique, Block technique will help you with getting over and penitrating.  Hitting technique is important as well.  Be there really early for quicks, its amazing how speed with your arm swing and getting to your setter as early as possible will catch the other middle blocker off guard.  Even if you don't get to hit the ball you will force a one on one on the outside, or can just dump the ball by the blocker.

good luck

Answer 2

Practice on a trampoline, maybe??

Answer 3

There is no easy way to increase your vertical.  Some people swear by plyometrics, running in sand, jumping rope, doing leg work outs.  You can also work on your form.  Are you swing blocking?  It's a technique that will get you a little more hang time.

At 6' tall and a middle, you likely don't need much more vertical to block in women's volleyball though.  Work on your timing and your footwork to make sure you are fast enough on the court to put the block up when and where it is needed.

Answer 4

Everytime you walk through a door, jump to touch the door jam.

Walk up stairs on your tip toes.

andddd

buy a pair of jump soles (rubber soles strapped to your feet) then go jump and run and skip in them... hurts like h**l, but helps.

Answer 5

Focus on you abdominal muscles.

Answer 6

use ur bloody legs

Answer 7

tons and tons of jump rope

Answer 8

Increasing vertical jump comes down to a lot of hard work. No program does the work for you.

What I'm trying to say is that anything you do to train your vert is better than nothing and will benifit your jump ... but it does take a lot of hard work.

Before I tell you what I've done in the past, I want to mention a few things about technique.

Footwork: Get comfortable with the footwork. If your right handed (opposite if your a lefty) it has to end with a small left followed by a big right left heel to toe rocking motion. Practice this untill you are 100% comfortable. Also the faster you are moving horizontally during your hitting approach the higher you will jump.

Arm Swing: I can't emphasise arm swing enough. You HAVE to swing both arms to full extension as if you are trying to grab a rebound in basketball. Swing your arms as aggresivley as you can. It really does surprise how many players are very weak in their arm swing for jumping. How important is arm swing ... I watched a short video by the U.S. Olympic training centre. They studied the performance of US National Team women's player (Keren Kemmner) They came to the conclusion that she was not swinging her arms aggresivley enough. They put her on training program and she increased her jump by 4 inches in a month! ARM SWING IS HUGE IN JUMPING.

Most of these exercises can be done at home without any equipment.

The exercises I did with great results were:

Skipping rope - with or without the rope. Find a cushioned surface if possible. Dont use your calves for this one. Jump and land flat footed keeping your legs always bent to get a great burn in the quads. These jumps shouldn't be any higher than 6 inches.

Calf Raises - one leg at a time on a step. lower your heel as low as it can go then raise to full extension. Do 5 sets on each calf.

Scissor jumps - start in a lunge position ( knee just above the ground, back straight, opposite foot infront) Jump in the air and switch the position of your legs. Jump as high as you can every time. Concentrate on using your glutes for this one. Don't allow your knee to go past your toes on the front leg when landing. Wear kneepads if you tend to bang your knees on the floor.

Quick ups - this a fast calf jump exercise. Jump as high as you can using only your calves. Try not to bend your knees at all. The split second you land, jump again as high as you can. Don't land then jump again, you almost have to start your jump before you have made contact with the floor.

Run stairs - include running every second step, single leg jumping every step. Double leg jumping every second step. increase the number of reps and number of steps jumped.

Sport jumps - Do a few reps of sport specific jumps ie. hitting approach and blocking movements with jumps. Teaches your body how to apply all the work you are doing to your game.

After about 6 to 8 weeks, I started the program over and used weights. Ankle weights worn as ankle weights make for a harder work but not very effective. Your much better off using three ankle weights attached end to end to make a belt to put around your waist. Weights on the ankles make it harder to move your legs but the weight is under the muscles you are trying to strengthen ... weights around your waist are above the muscles you want to strengthen. I bought a weighted vest with eighty 1/2 pound rods so that I could slowly work my way up to 40 pounds.

Hope this helps. Good Luck!

Answer 9

Work on your calfs...because you calfs are a major part of your jump:

-You could walk on you tip toes...go up and down on your tip toes slowly (I think these are called "calf raises")

-Also, try jump as high as you can without bending your knees and thrusting your arms (do 3 sets of about 25).

-Just add some other calf exercises...but your calfs should be VERY sore the next day...(so start off by doing this every other day or so).

Also, work on your quads...maybe do some squats and then you can throw in some quad jumps!

Good luck!

Answer 10

1. Stretch - aside from reducing your chances of injury you are also allowing your muscles to have a warm up before the actual activity. It will also put in a few more inches in your jump because it gives you more flexibility.

2. Weight training - put in weights in your ankles and/or vest and try to jump rope with them. This will add more strength in your muscles for that added force when you do that leap. Workout your abdominals very well as this will increase chances in that leap.

3. Squats - try squats; do at the very least 50. You will tone your leg muscles here very well and help you make that leap.

4. Jump soles - it's a fun way to exercise yourself and let you have a feel in jumping longer and further. Put in those jump soles and enjoy those jumps while working on your muscles.

5. Plyometrics - this shocks your body parts specially your muscles and gives it more strength. This will help you increase the inches in your vertical leap.

6. Sprint - sprinting is a little though but it will work your calves better and give you a longer stride.

7. Consistent - aside from all those weight training and other exercises you need to be consistent in your routines. Move your body everyday. You can run a few rounds in a day or play volleyball or basketball.

8. One or two? - How do you jump? Do you jump with one first or do you jump using both? A good technique if you are used to using both is to use your hands and swing it back while you bend your knees.

Your arms must be able to swing its way up once your knees are up. If you are going to be jumping with just one, try lay-ups (basketball).

You need to do this all the time. Until your leaps become higher and you reach the rim that is when you know you have done well.

9. Goal - have a goal. One way to increase your chances is to have something to look forward to in the end like 'I want to increase my leap because our game will start on Tuesday'. This will motivate you in achieving it and even increase your vertical leaps. Set your mind into it!

10. Perseverance - stay in the game. Be disciplined and put yourself to your limits. Never tell yourself you can't jump higher, work for it. By working for it your vertical leaps will not only increase but will help you in your game. Motivate yourself and never say die!

Answer 11

what ever you do, don't run long distance. it will s***w with your vertical so much. do alot of sprints, they help immensely. Work your calf muscles really hard. Also, do alot of ab training, it helps control your body better. You can just do crunches or planks. If you want to go the distance, find a gym with a vertimax. It is a machine where you hook yourself to weights and do every kind of volleyball jump imaginable. I was on the the vertimax once a week for 15 min. and in 2 months, my vertical increased by 2 inches.  Good luck

Answer 12

I'm a middle blocker too....

*Bleachers-till you can't lift your legs-rep.next day and the next

*Weights-both arms and legs

*Wall jumps-50 in a row-rep.rep.rep.

*Get your timing down....

Our coach gets us in the gym and we don't touch a ball for two weeks we just go over footwork, movement and conditioning.

Answer 13

Hey girl, Do skipping everyday....... atleast 100 jumps a day... within a week u'll get advanced.....

Answer 14

Plyometrics Exercises will make you run faster and jump higher. Plyometric exercises should be performed fresh and at maximum intensity. These type of exercises should always be performed on a soft surface as they can damage your joint when done on concrete, tartan, ect.

Once you get tired from these exercise and you're struggling you should stop. If you continue these exercises while your puffed-out they will no longer be a true plyometric exercise.

Here are some exercises below;

___________________

1)Alternating split leg jump - Start in the lunge position with your right leg in front.

Then jump (using your arms as you usually do while jumping) up into the air and land back in the lunge position with your left leg in front.

Immediately after landing explode upwards again landing with your right leg in front.

Do 8-15 jumps or until breathing heavily with at least 40 seconds rest.

___________________

2)Knee Tuck Jump - Jump as high as you can, and get your knees towards your chest.

Do 5-10 jumps or until breathing heavily with at least 50 seconds rest.

___________________

3)Single leg bound - Bound/Hop on one leg with the other leg looking like it's cycling backwards

Do 5-10 jumps or until breathing heavily with at least 45 seconds rest.

______________________________

Here is also an exercise that you can do while on the computer eating dinner or even watching TV;

___________________

This exercise strengthens your lower leg extensors, otherwise known your shin. Point your toes towards your shins, as close as you possibly can, and hold it for as long as you possibly can.

This exercise will increase not only jumping height, but speed as well.

___________________

Good Luck!

___________________

PS - Stretch. Stretching will reduce your risk of injury, increase stride length, plus a whole bunch of other benefits

It is important however, to only stretch after games and training. This is the best time to stretch as your muscle are warm so you can stretch them easy.

DO NOT stretch before games as you will lose some strength and speed, therefore not reaching your full potential.

___________________

PPS - I agree with that guy below me, using your arms are important in jumping. It accounts for 15% of your jumping height.

Answer 15

well to improve that jumping in the sand will help also opposites (kind of like skipping you lift one leg and the opposite arm and jump as high as you can.)

good luck