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10 TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR VERTICAL
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Do you want to increase your vertical? I should hope so! Volleyball is a game where big players have an advantage. You don’t necessarily have to be the tallest kid in the gym to “play big”. Players that play big are the ones that generally grab your attention because they are aggressive, explosive, quick and can jump! While there are a lot of theories about how to increase your vertical, and many products you can buy that guarantee results, here is the brief run-down about how you can take your game to new heights (literally).
First, it’s important to know that while some people have the “jumping gene” and are genetically blessed with fast-twitch muscles, it is possible for everyone to improve their vertical with proper training and hard work. Realistically, with the right program a player could gain anywhere from 2” to 6” over several months.
Without getting too technical, here are 10 tips that can help you “get hops” and improve your game (in random order):
1) Flexibility: Stretch Everyday!
It’s always a good idea to stretch every night before you go to bed, not just to help your jumping, but also for injury prevention and general joint mobility. It is proven that increased flexibility can lead to increased explosiveness. Also, when you are stretching in PE or practice, make sure you are really stretching and not just going through the motions, socializing with a buddy or daydreaming.
*Make sure you are feeling the stretch, but don’t over-stretch either. As general practice, try to hold the stretch for about 20 sec, relax, deep breaths, and then stop. Try to do each stretch several times before moving onto the next stretch.
2) The Principle of Specificity: Max Jumps Every Time!
While strength & speed training can help your explosiveness and translate to a higher jump, the best way to train your muscles to jump...is to jump! So during practice or conditioning, make sure every time you have the opportunity to jump you are jumping as high as possible. Every Block...Every Approach...Every Squat Jump...Every Split Jump...you get the idea. If you get lazy or go through the motions, this will only work against you. Not only will this help increase your vertical, but you might surprise yourself with your performance level and your overall fitness/conditioning will improve as well.
3) Technique: Practice Your Approach!
How many of you think you have the perfect approach? Well not to burst your bubble, but there is still room for improvement! As boring as it might be to practice your approach, it’s important to keep working on it so you can break bad habits and form muscle memory for the correct movements. Make sure when you are practicing you are using the 4-step approach (most of us are still doing a 3-step). Also, don’t forget to use those arms and get a good gather at take-off!
Click here for details on the approach and mechanics that will help increase your jump.
*Before practicing your approach on your own, ask your coach for help with your technique so you have something to work on when you are practicing. The last thing you want to do is practice bad habits, which will work against you and cause more problems down the road.
4) Practice Visualization:
It’s been proven that visualization techniques can help improve your vertical and game play. Take some time to close your eyes and visualize what it will look like to do the approach correctly and get the most out of your jump. Imagine that you are stronger and lighter than ever before. Imagine you have springs in your legs. See yourself throwing your arms up fast and propelling yourself into the air with incredible force. Imagine you are exploding out of your shoes! This is no joke...take it seriously and you will see results.
5) Plyometrics & Speed Work:
Jump training and speed training will ultimately help your explosiveness. The key here is to make sure you are wise in drill selection, use proper technique and are pushing yourself all the way through the workout. When you do jump training, as mentioned before, it’s important you jump with maximum force every time. Same with speed/agility work. Your first-step speed is crucial to develop power. Make sure you push yourself to go as fast as you can during these workouts and you’ll gain the most.
*There are plenty of drills you learned from practice and conditioning that you can do on your own (standing long jumps, split jumps, squat jumps, tuck jumps, approach jumps, 2-step block moves, sprinting with change of direction, fast shuffles). However, the more advanced plyometric drills should be supervised (i.e. altitude drops or any kind of explosive movements with added resistance/weight).
6) Strength Training:
In the sport of volleyball, a player’s body takes a lot of pounding. It’s important that you support your body by developing your strength as well. In fact, it is recommended that you do not do too much plyometric training without making sure your have a strong base to start from. For younger girls this can be body weight exercises (i.e. squats, lunges, push ups, crunches) and for high school players weight-lifting is a good idea.
a. Supervision is necessary:
Make sure you are being supervised by someone that knows proper lifting techniques and body positioning.
b. Start light:
Don’t over do it right away. Start light and increase weight as time goes on.
c. Jumping Muscles:
While it’s good to develop all major muscle groups (for injury prevention as well), it’s the posterior chain that helps translate to a higher jump (i.e. calves, hamstrings, gluts, lower back). A strong core, developed hip flexors, and strong quads to support the knees are extremely important as well.
7) Take Care of Yourself:
In order to get your best performance no matter what the task is, it’s important you are eating right, getting good rest, and fueling your body properly. If you are eating junk food, up late at night or making stupid choices that adversely affect your health, you will not reach your full potential. This is true in life, but also translates to your vertical as well. Make sure to take care of your body and your body will take care of you.
8) Train On Your Own, But Don’t Overtrain:
We don’t have enough time during practice or conditioning to implement the kind of program you need to increase your vertical. It’s important that you set up a plan to increase your strength, flexibility, speed and jumping ability on your own time. However, make sure you aren’t overtraining, which can work against you if your body isn’t getting adequate rest. Setting up a program where you are working out 2 to 3 times a week in addition to practices is a good start. Listen to your body though. If you’re overtraining, your body will show signs of distress.
9) Get Help:
If you want to increase your vertical but don’t know where to start, ask your coach, the director or let your parents know. JJ would be happy to design a program for you to do on your off days if you want. If you don’t want to work with JJ, there are many local specialists that can help you achieve your goals (i.e. strength trainers, jump specialists, dietitians/nutritionists, fitness/flexibility instructors, sports psychologists). There are also many jump training devices and program that you can purchase, which can help as well (i.e. platform shoes, special equipment, resistance devices, online programs). These things aren’t necessary but can help and sometimes offer an “edge” over the competition.
10) Keep it Up:
While any one of these tips above can help increase your vertical, doing all of the above will give you the best results. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it!” Unfortunately, this is true for your vertical too. If you stop jumping or training, your vertical can decrease. So it’s important that you keep up the hard work and you’ll reap the benefits!
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