Improve Your Vertical Jump to Become a Better Player

Ask any volleyball player what her goal is and she’ll likely tell you she wants to become the best player she can be.

While most players share similar goals, very few possess the same work ethic.

To improve your game, you have to put in the work, both at practice and on your own.

At practice, your coach will run you through drills. You’ll work on technical skills and your physical conditioning.

But, to really reach your potential, you have to be willing to train on your own.

One simple way to become a better player is to improve your vertical jump.

Some athletes have a natural ability to jump high and some are tall enough where they negate the need for a higher jump. For most, it’s going to take some work and time, so be patient.

Follow these tips–which can be completed at home with very little space:

1. Evaluate your current situation
   • Stand facing the wall with a post-it note or other type of removal sticker in your hand
   • Jump as high as you can and stick the post-it on the wall
   • Either measure the distance between the floor and the top of the post-it note or leave the post-it in place to measure your improvements as you put in the work
2. Develop Explosive Power
   • Use the drills listed below to develop explosive power, not just strength
   • Focus on the quality of your drills, not the quantity; it’s better to do fewer correct exercises than it is more of the bad ones
3. Strengthen Your Legs
   • Use resistance exercises to build lower body strength (the drills below along with squats, leg extensions, calf raises, deadlifts, leg curls, lunges, etc.)
   • Perform resistance training 2-3 times per week and allow for 24 hours rest in between sessions
4. Jump Rope
   • You loved it as a kid and now it’s time to incorporate jumping rope into your fitness routine
   • Start out with 15-second intervals and add 15 seconds more when you’re ready; work your way up to one-minute intervals going as fast as you can

PLYOMETRIC DRILLS

Use these plyometric drills to improve your overall fitness, lower body strength and explosive power.

Be sure to warm up, stretch and cool down after training.

A good warmup would include 10-15 minutes of light cardio work (jogging, biking, running in place). Follow that warmup with 15 repetitions of each exercise and then at least 10 minutes of a cool down (walking, stretching).

Knee Tuck Jump

This exercise helps you sprint faster and jump higher, because it engages your body’s strength in a short amount of time:

• Stand with your feet apart
• Jump straight upward
• When you leave the ground, raise your knees
• Extend legs to land

Lateral Jump

This jump tones butt, thighs, and hips, plus strengthen ankles and knee joints:

• Stand with feet together
• Keep arms at sides
• Jump to the right
• Land on right foot, and squat
• Push off with the right foot, land on the left one, and repeat cycle

Mountain Climber

This exercise is also called a Rabbit Chaser. It tones the entire body and burns calories:

• Stand on your toes and hands in pushup position
• Hold position while bringing one knee under your body and toward chest
• Push off the ground with both feet
• Keep the motion continuous

Broad Jump

These jumps build massive strength in the leg muscles:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart
• Squat and jump forward as far as you can
• When you land, repeat as quickly as possible

Burpee

This technique tones legs, core and burns calories. To perform the exercise:

• Squat from a standing position
• Place hands palm down outside your feet
• Hop up and then jump straight up
• Drop to a squat again

Squat Jack

This maneuver is a combination of a jumping jack and a wall sit. It burns calories and builds leg muscles. To do a squat jack:

• Stand with feet together
• Squat down
• Hop with your feet apart, and then hop them back together

Agility Dots

This technique builds ankle strength and increases speed and stamina. To perform this exercise:

• Imagine a one-foot by one-foot square
• Hop sideways from dot to dot

Squat Jump

The final exercise in this routine is the squat jump, which entails:

• Lowering to a squat as if sitting in a chair
• Pushing up with as much power as possible