How to Make Your Jump Higher

Jumping higher can help athletes excel in numerous team and individual sports. Basketball, football, soccer, volleyball and baseball are among the sports in which jumping skills can make the difference between winning and losing. Whether your goal is to be a professional athlete or just perform better in a pick-up game, improving your jumping ability can mean the difference between scoring or getting scored on.

Things You'll Need

  • Quality athletic shoes
  • Weights
  • Various height wooden boxes
  • Jump rope
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Instructions

  1. How To Jump Higher

    • 1

      Increase the flexibility of your Achilles tendon, calves, quadriceps, hamstrings and hip flexors.

      Do dynamic warm-up exercises rather than static stretching.

      Perform ankle pops. Lightly bounce off the toes while keeping the knees slightly bent. Progress forward for about half a gym length. Jog back to where you started. Perform running with high knees. Get your knees above your waist. Run a gym length. Jog back to where you started.

      Perform butt kicks. Run while lifting your ankles to kick your butt behind you. Run a gym length. Jog back to where you started.

    • 2

      Increase the strength in your hips and legs by doing a one-hour workout with weights 2-3 times a week. Do sets with 6-15 reps at a weight that is taxing but manageable. Do not work at your maximum weight, as this will likely cause injury. Concentrate on exercises that work your hips and legs, but work on your upper body as well so you train your whole body.

    • 3

      Practice jumping as high as you can.

      Perform jumps from a squatting position. Jump onto sturdy wooden boxes of various heights, but do not jump off. Step off the box to lessen the impact of landing. Practice jumping as far as you can, concentrating on length rather than height. Do workouts with a jump rope.

    • 4

      Strengthen your core. Your abs, low back and hip flexors play a huge role in jumping. Strengthen them by doing stomach crunches.

      Lie on your back with your back straight. Using your ab muscles, rise up just enough to lift your shoulders off the ground. Do crunches for 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes at night.