Vertical Leap improvement

[MBuzzy]

Does anyone have any "outside the Dojang" tips on improving your vertical leap. I'm looking to add a few inches to my vertical jump so that I can improved my spin kicks. Any ideas?

[Steel Tiger]

The only thing I can think of is an exercise that I used to use when training for high jumping. We would stand on a raised surface, like a step, with the balls of our feet and do heel raises with the heel sinking below the level of the ball on the down phase of the movement.

Its really good for calves and the achilles tendon which are both important in doing a vertical jump.

[Decker]

Steel Tiger, may I know the foot placement (like how wide your feet are) for your said exercise? I'm interested in trying it out myself. Thanks.

MBuzzy, you might want to try doing squats. I've heard they're very good at working the larger muscles of the legs.

To quote another article on how to train for different purposes:

RPM = repetition maximum

very high weight / low rep = Maximal strength (1-5 reps, 90-100% rpm)

Med weight / med rep + high speed = Explosive strength

low wieght / high rep = Endurance (over 15 reps)

low weight / high rep + high speed = Speed

8-12 rep with high weight = hyperthropy (growth of muscle) (75-85%rpm)

Now how you gonna achieve resistance with weights, bodyweights, resistance bands, sledgehammer, pushing car, it doesn't matter if you stay in that particular repetition range.

Maximum strength training improves intermuscular and intramusclular coordination, in other words coordination between different muscle groups and fibers in the same muscle. Disadvantage negatively impacts explosive strength.

I hope that helped.

If you do decide to do squats, be careful to maintain proper form. Poor form while doing squats is especially bad for the knees.

[Doc_Jude]

Body weight squats / Pistols.

Calf raises (Steel Tiger Style )

Plyometrics. Lots of stuff online to explain it.


Or you could do it old school Kung Fu style.

1. Dig a hole a foot deep.
2. Get down into the hole.
3. Jump out of the hole.
4. Repeat.
5. When it gets moderately easy, dig the hole a little deeper.
6. Repeat as necessary until you're jumpin' like a Power Ranger!!!

[Nomad]

Motivation!

When one of our seniors wants to "help" us jump higher, he grabs a bo, and swings it (smoothly and steadily) at our legs. It works marvelously well; people who were barely catching air at all find they can suddenly leap quite high indeed.

[Kennedy_Shogen_Ryu]

Jumping squats have worked well for me. Either weighted or not though weighted does add to the challenge. Plus practicing horse stance as much as you can, really conditions those muscles.

[Steel Tiger]

Originally Posted by Decker

Steel Tiger, may I know the foot placement (like how wide your feet are) for your said exercise? I'm interested in trying it out myself. Thanks.

Normally you would keep your feet about shoulder width apart, this gives you good balance. If you move them further apart or closer together you change the intensity of the exercise. So you could to reps at different widths to get an overall effect.

[cdunn]

Many, many moons ago, I tried out for varsity volleyball. That particular game is pretty much based entirely around explosive leg strength. As such, we did basically a total of three conditioning exercises. We did distance running for cardiac endurance, and for quick on the floor motion and jump height .. and we needed pure jump height, not just 'pick your legs up off the floor' height.. we did wind sprints and squats. Squats have been covered.

Wind sprints, meanwhile, are basically the 40 yard dash until you puke. 40 yards as hard as you can. Turn, one deep breath from the center, 40 yard as hard as you can, turn, breathe once, 40 yards. Try for 10 reps.

You have to train for the explosiveness in some fashion. When I was young, dumb, and too stupid to care about my spine, I was able to put up more steel than the high school machine had. I still couldn't jump for crap, though, because it was all pure strength, no explosiveness. I think I hit the hypertrophic regime by accident.

[Decker]

Yeah. Up till lately, I'd been doing squats too. Lots of them, up till almost 100 a session, weekly, but with a rather low weight. It gave me very impressive thighs, but no increase in explosive power.

Showing off was fun though.

[KempoGuy06]

box jumps. Used to do them in football. they work work great.

B

[Logan]

Originally Posted by MBuzzy

Does anyone have any "outside the Dojang" tips on improving your vertical leap. I'm looking to add a few inches to my vertical jump so that I can improved my spin kicks. Any ideas?

The best thing is to jump - break down your techniques and work each part individually to increase efficiency of movement.

To train explosive power you want to target fast-twitch muscles so do exercises in reps of 10, then rest until recovered (at least 1-2 minutes usually).

Jumping squats work great as well- Shaolin Monks swear by them ("frog jumps" up and down steps are a regular exercise).

You shouldn't really work plyometric stuff more than twice a week - the payoffs diminish and you need significant recovery time.

Bear in mind that in a practical sense most of the spinning kicks don't require much vertical jumping - too much height can be detrimental to the technique and leave you wide open for counters.

[Doc_Jude]

Originally Posted by Logan

The best thing is to jump - break down your techniques and work each part individually to increase efficiency of movement.

To train explosive power you want to target fast-twitch muscles so do exercises in reps of 10, then rest until recovered (at least 1-2 minutes usually).

Jumping squats work great as well- Shaolin Monks swear by them ("frog jumps" up and down steps are a regular exercise).

You shouldn't really work plyometric stuff more than twice a week - the payoffs diminish and you need significant recovery time.

Bear in mind that in a practical sense most of the spinning kicks don't require much vertical jumping - too much height can be detrimental to the technique and leave you wide open for counters.

Very true. Good Post. So many of these things come down to not only pure jumping power but good technique. Have patience when using these training methods, & you'll see results.

"In Tae Kwon Leap, a year is as a day."