5 Factors That Affect Your Vertical Jump

5 Factors That Affect Your Vertical Jump

“I want to increase my vertical”…..Easily one of the most common pain points coaches hear from athletes.  How can something as benign as how high one can jump, holds so much weight?

An impressive vertical can open up doors for athletes.  It can take a below the rim basketball player, and make them a high flyer.  It can make the difference between a volleyball player going DI, or to a smaller school.

But as important as a vertical can be, it is one of the most misunderstood and improperly trained aspects of sports performance. The internet is littered with so called “vertical coaches” and jump programs hawking promises such as, “Increase your vertical 8 inches in 4 weeks”.  Complete Snake oil….Been on instagram lately?? …Flashy Exercises with no substance or scientific basis.

So with all that being said, what exactly makes up a great vertical jump?  Today we will cut through the BS and give you the factors that affect vertical jump, and what those factors mean for training.

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Why I Don’t Care How High Your Box Jump Is

Recently I saw a video of some kid on Instagram jumping onto a vending machine.  My initial reaction…WHO CARES.

It seems like videos are popping up every day of people showing off their incredible box jumping prowess.  Most people freak out when they see these videos.  For me, it does nothing. Uhh, what Pro-League does he play in again? 

Although it is impressive to see these freak athletes jump this high, there really isn’t much application.  And to make matters worse, these video have led to a rash of “Insta-trainers” having their clients attempting this craziness too.  Well I’m here to put an end to it.  Read on to see why we need to stop this madness ASAP.

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