How can I jump higher?

Question

I play club volleyball and Im a little short (for a volleyball player). When it comes to spiking I can jump high and actually spike it but it takes alot energy. I was hoping that someone out there could tell me a exercise that would make jumping easier and help me jump higher.

Answer 1

there's an awesome product called "air alert" it makes you jump real high. my sister isnt that tall and shes a maniac jum[per so just go on google and type in "air alert". if u sign up for it it sends u a book and dvd about it

oh and also my sis plays club ball 2 and she says if you stretch your quads for 40 second each, it will add an inch 2 ur vertical!!! tryit  it works...

Answer 2

Have you ever heard of weights that are strapped at your ankles? Well, that's what my friend uses. It works like the medicine ball. You jump with it on you. When you take it off, you'll obviously feel lighter and jump higher. I hope it works for you. Goodluck =)

Answer 3

it's not an exercise, but a tip...do make sure that when u jump, that u should jump on both feet at the same time, and extend legs fully

to make it easier to do that, 'run' into your jump, gaining momentum thus resulting in a higher jump

Answer 4

Jumprope alot, STRETCH, wall sits, and just practice vertical jumps.

Answer 5

There are lots of ways to improve your vertical:

#1

Plyometrics.

I see that lots of people have already mentioned "Air Alert", which is a really great program. Not too expensive, so you might want to invest in it. If not, just stick to plyometric exercises with your legs. These exercises include squat jumps, calf raises, box jumps and lots of other stuff. Make sure to do very high reps and take a short break in between each set. Plyometrics is training essentially improves elasticity in your muscles and tissue so that you can almost bounce off the ground.

#2

Weight Lifting.

Lifting is a great way to improve your vertical. Try to stick to compound movements that will work most of the muscles in your legs. Squats are definitely the most important lift associated with your vertical leap. Again, try to do higher reps, 3 sets of 12 reps will probably do the trick. Since squats emphasize your quads, you will also want to try lifting for your hamstrings. Stiff leg dead lifts and leg curls are great for hamstring development. If you want to emphasize the glutes a little more, you can do weighted lunges. Also remember to do weighted calf raises and try to always work your core when you go to the gym (abs, obliques, lower back: all very important for your vertical leap). If you lift in addition to "Air Alert" I guarantee you will be impressed with your results.

#3

Stretch!

Sounds so easy, but stretching really improves that elasticity in your legs that I was talking about before. Each time you stretch, you will want to reach a little farther than you did the time before. One fun goal to have is to see if you can reach your head to your knee when you are touching your toes.

#4

Play lots and lots of volleyball.

This may be the best way to improve your vertical: just jumping around. Especially since your adrenaline will certainly be higher when you are actually in practice or during a match. Just keep jumping as high as you can for every spike and block, it's tiring as heck but really, really helps. I am 6'4" male, and whenever I was in high school I never did enough plyometrics or lifting, but just by playing volleyball all the time, I improved my vertical from about 24" to over 30"!

Also make sure you test your vertical leap to make sure you are constantly making improvements. If your JO team doesn't have one, you should definitely get a vertex, or some other product to test your vertical leap. By testing often, you can keep reaching for new heights.

Best of luck!

Answer 6

Pick a spot on a wall and jump up and touch it. Do that for a couple more jumps then pick a spot higher than the spot you just jumped and see if you can touch that. That helped me.

Answer 7

jump rope

jump by a high ceiling and try to touch it

but ALWAYS strech or youmight get shin splints

Answer 8

:) haha, being 5-5 im short for a vball player too. i work on my vertical by practicing my aproach everyday, in reps of 20. it may seem like little effort, but after a while u will see a gradual increase in your height of jump. also, my coach (i play club also) has a "torture machine". we have a large suare platform with bungee cords built in. we strap on a belt, and attch ourselves to the platform. our coach has us do killer drills with this "fun machine" (as he calls it). i have noticed a HUGE difference in my vertical. this may be a large expense, but if u plan on going somewhere with vball, i would surely check into getting one!

Answer 9

alright...most of your jumping comes from your core muscles (abs, obliques, and butt) ....the other 25% comes from legs (Quads, calves and etc) ...work on alot of core exercises. . i f you need a program search for something called "air alert" it helped me alot..

Answer 10

duh,, you need some working on to do.. work on your voulting (if correctly spelled) to im prove your jumping capacity and it took time for you to do this!!!! try to jog on a grandstand with a half a meter distance on one another  and it will indeed improve your jumping skill.. this is a no joke girl,, and you have to,, just perform this kind of exercise.. so that you will achieve things that you're longing to achieve.. that's it\\!!!!

Answer 11

Well from  JV/Varistey coaches i leared a techinqe but its hard to explain ! i will try tough

you go left then right then left and jump!

And when you go left put your hand behind you and when you go right do the opposite.!

It helps alot!

IT GIVES YOU EXERCISE AND GIVE YOU YOUR JUMPING AND SPIKING PRACTICE ALL IN ONE!

Answer 12

strengthen your legs and do different jumps everyday

Answer 13

Jump-rope and crunchers.

I know that's like the last thing you would want to do, especially when they make you do them in conditioning.  But it works.  I want to play in college and I quit all my other extra curricular activities so I could work out before and after school to work on my thighs, calves, and abs.  Arms are important, but hitting has everything to do with your body more than your arms.

Answer 14

On my club volleyball team, we go through special training called plyometric training. Our instructor puts us through drills and exercises once a week to help improve our speed, jumping height, endurance, flexibility, power, and MUCH more. It is SOO great, I would REALLY recommend looking into it! Hope this helps!

Answer 15

Strengthen your leg muscles.