First of all, be sure to check out parts 1 – 4
Here’s what was covered in these parts:
Part 1: Kettlebell exercises to jump higher
Part 2: Secrets of band training to improve your vertical jump
Part 3: What to do 22-23 hours outside the gym to maximize your vertical jump
Part 4: What does speed have to do with jumping higher?
So what else can I cover in vertical jump training? Well, when you consider that I learned from over 13 of the world’s strength coaches, there is certainly much more.
And when I say world class, that’s exactly what I mean. Here’s a quick review of who these vertical jump experts have trained.
San Francisco 49er, San Diego Chargers, Los Angeles Clippers, New York Liberty, Los Angeles Sparks, Washington Mystics, Women’s National Soccer Team, St. John’s University, St. Anthony’s HS Basketball Team and much more. The list is really too big to list!
So it’s safe to say there’s a lot more.
Now, what if I told you that there is a gentleman who helps people improve their vertical in just 20 minutes? Well, this is exactly what Gray Cook learned when he did university research on jump training.
When researching who I would like to learn about vertical jump performance from, I was fortunate to meet and learn from world-renowned physical therapist Gray Cook at a Perform Better Seminar. And being the nice nerdy guy that I am, I asked him if he would be willing to do an interview with me about vertical jump training. I really wanted to get some feedback from Gray about his FMS functional motion display. And like I said before, the best thing about talking to Gray is that he actually did his university research on vertical jump training. Gray is a big advocate of perfecting his technique to maximize his vertical jump. Gray used light resistance bands to make sure his grip jumped correctly. If you jumped with bad form the risers magnified this so you had to jump correctly. What did this do? This group improved their vertical and reaction times in just 20 minutes!
And even better is the correct neural programming that this sets up for you to go out and practice in addition to this new programming.
Radio talk show host and sports nutritionist Dave Depew recommended Connecticut strength coach Jimmy Smith to me. He had some great things to say, but he came up with a good one that most people forget. Work on those weaknesses! If it’s that simple, why aren’t there a lot of trainers who don’t do this and stick with the cookie cutter crap? I see this too much. We should not marry any exercise or program. Athletes who can back squat should back squat. But those who cannot must make an alternative. Remember this, there is always an alternative. Even world famous strength coach Mike Boyle talks about being in love with the squat and not wanting to throw it out with players complaining of knee pain from squatting. Stay single and play the field when it comes to exercise selection. You’ll be glad you did.
Another great point Jimmy made was the importance of staying away from plyometrics when it’s in season. In season, basketball athletes already jump too much. Why should you ask them for 20-40 more jumps during plyo work? Hit the weight room to keep up your strength, which can wane during the season. Then in the off-season work on power development. Of course there is a flip side to that for weekend warriors like me. I don’t practice every day and I play 3-5 times a month. In this case, it makes sense to use plyometric exercises to prepare the body for the demands of basketball.
Mike Robertson weighed in on another overlooked component of vertical training or any training for that matter. And that my friend is mobility training. As Mike pointed out: if he Googles vertical jump training, he’ll get thousands of results focused on strength and plyometric training. But mobility is a critical factor that many do not mention and that is a big mistake. And don’t make the mistake of thinking that mobility is the same as flexibility. Mobility is the ability to use your flexibility while moving. If you can’t reach certain positions, it will be much more difficult to maximize your performance. Mobility training will help you achieve this and even better is that you can do it as a warm-up and with minimal time.
Gray Cook, Jimmy Smith, and Mike Robertson shared a lot more than is written here, but again, this is just a quick rundown of things I knew could help right away. For more free information on how improving your technique, weaknesses, and mobility will increase your vertical, be sure to visit http://www.JumpExperts.com right now!
