CPennington
New member
Hey guys just looking for any and all advice on building a better vertical leap with training.
The Storm16 said:Vertical is a combination of strength and speed. You have to be strong and you have to exert that strength quickly. Cleans are great if you can do them well. If not, dumbbell snatches and kettle bell swings are great for explosive hips.
Plyometrics are key for agility and vertical. When doing box jumps, you want to be sure to land as softly and quietly as possible. Don't stomp your feet when you land. You want to absorb that force and remain balanced. By absorb I don't mean let your butt bounce on the back of your ankles like an Olympic lifter catching a clean, I mean control your impact.... Don't do box jumps every day either. Once every 3-4 days is better and don't do 100 jumps each time. Do a couple sets of 8 or so and take your time to set up before each one. If you look up Mike Boyle, you'll find some great information on all this
explosive movements are key. Such as snatches. I also find deadlifts and squats very helpful. I strong core is very important too. Doing agility training and plyos are key- such as jumping with weight ball touching it on back board or jump off box then right up, resistance band jumping and running is very beneficial as well.
i certainly agree that snatches can be beneficial. that said, given the nature of the movement (50% is above your head), your shoulders will usually get tired before your legs or hips. if your shoulders don't get tired first, you're probably doing them wrong and risking potentially serious shoulder injury. unless you have great shoulder mobility, i would start with cleans and slowly work your way to snatches as you increase your thoracic mobility--emphasis on slowly.