How to Improve Your Vertical Jump in Volleyball

One way to get an edge on your opponents in volleyball is to increase your vertical jump. Vertical jumping prowess comes from a combination of two things: muscle speed and muscle strength. The combination of these two skills yields muscle power, which in turn makes your vertical jump higher. So by focusing on both through strength training, plyometrics and cardiovascular training, you can increase your body's ability to jump in the air, thus improving your volleyball game.

Instructions

    • 1

      Perform regular compound exercises to build your muscle strength. Focus on squats and deadlifts, both of which provide excellent leg exercise, increasing your leg muscle strength and therefore increasing your vertical jump capability. Perform these exercises with a weight that allows you to perform only four to six repetitions.

    • 2

      Introduce dynamic exercises that work on your body's ability to move things quickly, such as the Olympic power cleans, clean and jerk, and snatch. Perform these exercises with a smaller weight, but do more reps --- eight to 12 --- to work on the speed of your movements.

    • 3

      Execute plyometrics, which is another form of speed training. These are body weight exercises that move your body in the same manner that a jump will. They include depth jumps, where you step off a box, then jump in the air when your feet hit the ground; running jumps, which are exactly what they sound like; and tuck jumps, where you bend down, then bring your knees to your armpits as you jump in the air. Perform three sets of 10 repetitions of each of these, every second day.

    • 4

      Perform cardiovascular training. This will increase your muscle endurance, making you able to jump high more often in one game. It also will decrease your body fat, which will reduce the work your muscles must perform, thus allowing you to jump higher.