Drills to Help You Jump Higher

To increase your vertical leap, your body must develop its fast twitch muscles in your legs. These muscles perform reactionary movements rather than providing bulk strength, but still require practice and repetitive drills to develop. Jump ropes, vertical leaps and slalom jump drills can help you jump higher.

  1. Jump Rope Routine

    • Begin by doing 100 standard jump rope skips with both feet. Then lift your left leg and skip the rope 100 times. Do 100 more skips with both legs, then switch to jumping on the right leg 100 times. Do another set of 100 on both feet. Finish by doing 50 double jumps-- the rope must pass beneath your feet twice before you land.

    Quadriceps Training

    • Develop explosive quadriceps muscles by doing the double-knee tuck jump. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart in an open field or basketball court. Swing your arms backward, squat and jump straight up. As you rise, bring both your knees toward your chest. When you land, immediately jump again. Repeat this jump at least 10 times. On the way back, do the same jump, but this time try to kick yourself in the behind as you rise.

    Slalom Jumps

    • Slalom jumps can increase quickness and explosiveness in the calves. Most slalom jump exercises resemble the motions of slalom skiers who horizontally shift their body weight to either side while maneuvering between objects. One slalom jump exercise begins by aligning several cones or similar objects about a foot apart. Stand with your feet together to the right of the first cone, and keep them together as you jump left, landing between the first and second cones. Immediately after you land, jump right and diagonal until you land to the right of the empty space between the second and third cones. Repeat the motion by jumping left between cones two and three, then right and diagonal next to the space between cones three and four. Repeat until you reach the tenth cone, turn around in place, and jump back in the same manner. For an additional work out, do the exercise on one leg only.