How to Increase Your Vertical Jump: From Real Experience

Learning how to increase your vertical jump is not only about finding the right exercises.

It requires developing strength, explosiveness, coordination, landing mechanics, and the ability to apply force quickly, and I know these qualities can be trained because I had to build them myself.

The highest standing vertical jump I ever recorded was 37 inches while playing with the Detroit Pistons during the 2015 NBA Summer League.

I am incredibly proud of that number, but the story of how I reached it is more valuable than the number itself because I was not born a naturally explosive athlete.

In high school, I was known as the 6-foot-9 kid who could barely dunk, and there are firsthand witnesses who watched me miss dunk attempts during games.

My high school coach used to say that I could barely jump over a yellow phone book.

He was not completely wrong.

By college, however, I had developed into one of the most athletic centers in the country.

That transformation eventually helped me build a professional basketball career lasting more than a decade.

You can check out some of my highlights from my professional basketball career below.

I fully understand that being 6-foot-10 gave me an advantage in becoming a professional athlete.

However, height alone would not have helped me compete professionally without years of intelligent strength training, plyometrics, sprinting, mobility work, landing practice, aquatic training, and consistent recovery.

That is why I believe the methods in this vertical jump training guide can help other athletes.

These strategies did not take an already-gifted jumper and make him slightly better; they helped turn someone who was not a good athlete into a powerful, explosive professional basketball player.

I also made plenty of mistakes along the way.

The recommendations below reflect both my firsthand experience and the research I have studied so that you can understand what worked, what was unnecessary, and how to train more efficiently.

It is the most complete explanation I can offer of the methods that helped me progress from barely dunking in high school to recording a 37-inch standing vertical jump and producing performances such as this seven-block professional game:

For more proof, here are highlights from a 7-block game I had in 2018-2019.

I am giving this information away completely free because I know how valuable reliable guidance would have been when I began training.

If this guide helps you, please follow me on YouTube and Instagram, join my website’s email list, and keep following AdamKempFitness.com.

There are no shortcuts or guarantees, and genetics will always influence athletic potential.

Still, my experience proves that your current jumping ability isn’t your final result, and the principles in this guide can teach you how to increase your vertical jump through smarter, more complete training!

How to Prepare for Your Vertical Jump Training Program

Before changing your training, establish a baseline.

Test your standing vertical jump after a full warm-up, ideally using the same method every time.

A wall reach test, jump mat, or reliable phone app can work. What matters most is consistency.

Perform three to five maximal jumps with plenty of rest between attempts, then record your best jump.

Also, pay attention to how you jump.

• Do you sink too deeply?
• Do your knees collapse inward?
• Do you lose balance on the landing?

Your technique and movement quality tell you as much as the number itself.

Then retest only every four to six weeks, not every day.

Vertical jump performance can fluctuate based on sleep, soreness, stress, and the training session you completed the day before.

A single poor test does not mean your program is failing.

Best Ways to Increase Your Vertical Jump

My ability to significantly improve my vertical jump was largely due to training intensity, yet training intelligently was equally crucial.

To significantly increase your vertical jump, the principle key lies in one shared attribute across all athletic functions, whether it’s speed, power, or the vertical jump: variation.

Regardless of the vertical jump workout program you’re adhering to, the consistent incorporation of novel and unique exercises will aid your body in overcoming plateaus.

Variation can manifest in several diverse forms as well.

Implementing a distinct range of motion, resistance, or balance, can each independently challenge you, pushing your body to function more efficiently.

For the quickest possible improvement in your vertical jump, consider the following tips:

Start With Strength Training

Strength training gives you the foundation needed to produce more force against the ground.

However, the goal of strength training for your vertical jump is not simply to lift the heaviest weight possible or build the largest legs possible.

The objective is to improve how much force you can produce relative to your bodyweight and how quickly you can express that force.

Strength expands your physical capacity, while explosive exercises and jumping practice teach you to use it at athletic speeds.

One classic study found that athletes who combined squats with plyometric training improved their vertical jump more than participants who performed only squats or only plyometrics.

The combined group improved by an average of 10.67 centimeters, compared with 3.30 centimeters in the squat group and 3.81 centimeters in the plyometric group (Adams et al., 1992).

This does not mean every athlete needs the same strength program.

Your exercise selection should reflect your experience, proportions, injury history, available equipment, and whether you primarily jump from one foot, two feet, or both.

Best Strength Exercises for Increasing Your Vertical Jump

The following exercises provide an excellent foundation for most vertical jump training programs.

You do not need to perform all of them in every workout, but each develops a quality that can help you jump higher.

1.) Trap Bar Deadlift

The trap bar deadlift is one of my favorite strength exercises for athletes because it allows you to train high levels of lower-body force while maintaining a relatively upright torso.

It strengthens the glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, back, grip, and trunk without requiring the same technique as an Olympic lift.

The handles place the resistance around your body instead of directly in front of it.

For many athletes, this makes the movement more comfortable and lets them push off the floor more aggressively.

The trap bar also provides a natural progression from heavy strength training to explosive trap bar jumps.

Research involving professional rugby players found a strong relationship between relative peak power in the hex-bar jump squat and countermovement-jump performance, although a correlation does not prove that one exercise directly caused the other (Turner et al., 2015).

Use trap bar deadlifts to develop foundational strength with controlled repetitions and complete rest periods.

Later, lighter trap bar jumps can help you express force more rapidly, provided you already have sufficient strength, landing ability, and experience with loaded jumps.

2.) Front Squat

The front squat is another exercise I prioritize because it develops the quadriceps, glutes, trunk, and upper back while encouraging an upright posture.

It can build strength through the ankle, knee, and hip positions used during jumping and landing.

I have personally used heel-elevated, full-range-of-motion front squats to rebuild lower-body strength and movement quality.

Pauses at the bottom can develop positional control, while ascending with maximal intent teaches you to apply force aggressively without sacrificing technique.

The front squat does not need to look identical for every athlete.

Your stance, heel elevation, depth, and load should accommodate your anatomy and mobility while allowing you to maintain control of your feet, knees, hips, and trunk.

3.) Bulgarian Split Squat

The Bulgarian split squat develops unilateral leg strength, balance, hip stability, and control.

These qualities are especially important for basketball and volleyball players because many sport-specific jumps, landings, accelerations, and changes of direction occur primarily through one leg.

Unilateral exercises can also expose differences between your right and left sides that bilateral lifts may hide.

A meta-analysis comparing unilateral and bilateral resistance training found that unilateral training was particularly effective for improving unilateral jumping performance, while both approaches offered useful athletic benefits (Liao et al., 2022).

Use a stance that allows the front foot to remain stable and the knee to track naturally over the toes.

You can keep your torso relatively upright to emphasize the quadriceps or use a modest forward lean to involve more of the glutes and posterior chain.

Bulgarian split squats can be loaded with dumbbells, kettlebells, a barbell, or a front-foot-loaded landmine.

Start with the variation that provides the most stability, and earn the right to use more challenging loads.

4.) Step-Up

The step-up strengthens one leg at a time while allowing you to drive your body upward through a movement pattern that has an obvious connection to running and jumping.

It also offers numerous options to adjust the box height, load, tempo, and movement direction.

Choose a box height that lets you generate force through the working leg without pushing too much with the trailing foot.

Drive through the entire working foot, extend the hip, and finish tall without turning the repetition into an uncontrolled balance exercise.

Lower step-ups generally allow greater speed and heavier loading.

Higher step-ups increase range of motion but may lead to compensation if your mobility and strength cannot support the position.

Lateral step-ups, crossover step-ups, and step-ups with a knee drive can be useful variations.

However, master the basic forward step-up before adding complexity.

5.) Single-Leg Deadlift

The single-leg deadlift develops the hamstrings, glutes, ankles, feet, and trunk while challenging balance and hip control.

It is particularly useful for teaching an athlete to produce and absorb force while maintaining stability on one leg.

The movement should come primarily from the hip rather than the lower back.

Keep your pelvis controlled, maintain a slight bend in the supporting knee, and reach the free leg behind you as your torso inclines forward.

You can perform single-leg deadlifts with a dumbbell, kettlebell, barbell, landmine, cable, or bodyweight.

Contralateral loading (holding the weight in the hand opposite the working leg) is often useful because it increases the demand for rotational stability.

Do not let balance become the only limiting factor.

If you cannot load the exercise enough, use your free hand for light support so your glutes and hamstrings still get a meaningful strength stimulus.

Other Effective Strength Training Exercises for Increasing Your Vertical Jump

The five exercises above are not the only movements that can help increase your vertical jump.

The best exercise is ultimately one you can perform safely, progressively load, recover from, and use consistently.

Back squats remain one of the most effective general strength exercises available.

They allow athletes to train the quadriceps, glutes, adductors, trunk, and posterior chain with substantial loads.

High-bar squats generally keep the torso more upright and emphasize the knees and quadriceps, while low-bar squats typically involve more forward torso inclination and hip contribution.

Neither variation is universally better for jumping, so choose the one that fits your structure and training goals.

Goblet squats, safety-bar squats, belt squats, box squats, pause squats, and heel-elevated squats can also be useful.

These variations allow you to adjust the range of motion, loading position, stability requirement, and muscular emphasis without abandoning the fundamental squat pattern.

The conventional deadlift is valuable for developing total-body strength, particularly through the glutes, hamstrings, back, and grip.

Sumo deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts, rack pulls, and block pulls provide additional ways to train hip extension and the posterior chain.

Romanian deadlifts are especially useful for strengthening the hamstrings through a controlled eccentric phase.

However, no deadlift variation perfectly replicates a vertical jump, and it should not be expected to replace squats, unilateral exercises, loaded jumps, or actual jumping.

Other productive single-leg exercises include reverse lunges, walking lunges, lateral lunges, single-leg squats, split squats, single-leg glute bridges, and rear-foot-elevated deadlifts.

These movements can strengthen positions used during one-foot takeoffs, landings, acceleration, and deceleration.

Your program does not need endless exercise variation.

Choose a small group of primary movements, improve them for several weeks, and introduce a variation when you have a clear reason to change the stimulus.

Do Not Neglect the Calves, Ankles, and Feet

The glutes and quadriceps produce substantial force during a jump, but that force must ultimately travel through the ankle and foot.

Weak or poorly coordinated lower legs can limit how efficiently you transfer force into the ground.

Standing calf raises, seated calf raises, bent-knee calf raises, tibialis raises, isometric calf holds, and low pogo jumps can help develop the ankle complex.

Train through a controlled range of motion and gradually build tolerance, rather than suddenly introducing large amounts of high-impact work.

Soleus strength is particularly valuable for athletes because the muscle contributes to force production and control when the knee is bent.

Calves shouldn’t replace compound lower-body exercises, but they deserve more attention than many vertical jump programs give them.

Upper-Body Strength Also Matters

Most of the force in a vertical jump comes from the lower body, but the upper body is not irrelevant.

An effective arm swing can increase jump height by improving takeoff velocity and increasing work at the hip and ankle (Hara et al., 2006).

Push-ups and pull-ups provide a simple foundation for upper-body strength.

They develop the chest, back, shoulders, arms, and trunk without requiring substantial equipment or unnecessary training complexity.

Landmine presses are one of my favorite pressing exercises for athletes because they allow you to produce force upward and forward while coordinating the shoulder, trunk, and hips.

Half-kneeling, tall-kneeling, split-stance, and rotational landmine presses can each serve different purposes.

Overhead presses are excellent for building shoulder and trunk strength when you have the mobility to perform them comfortably.

Dumbbells, kettlebells, and landmine variations may be better options for athletes who do not tolerate a straight-bar overhead press.

Rows, face pulls, carries, and medicine-ball throws can round out an athletic upper-body program.

Medicine-ball scoop tosses and overhead throws are especially useful when the goal shifts from general strength toward total-body power.

The goal is not to exhaust your upper body or add mass without a purpose.

Train it enough to support posture, arm action, contact tolerance, total-body coordination, and long-term shoulder health.

Train for Strength and Power, Not Maximum Muscle Mass

Muscle can contribute to greater force production, so gaining some functional muscle is not inherently harmful.

The problem occurs when hypertrophy becomes the primary goal and bodyweight increases faster than your ability to produce force.

A vertical jump is a relative-power skill.

You must accelerate your body against gravity, so added mass helps only when it provides enough strength and power to justify carrying it.

Most primary strength exercises can be performed for approximately three to six repetitions per set with challenging but controlled loads.

Take enough rest, often two to five minutes between demanding sets, to preserve technique and force production.

Accessory exercises may use moderate or higher repetition ranges, especially when building tendon capacity, correcting a weakness, or adding muscle to an underdeveloped area.

However, your main lifts shouldn’t consistently resemble high-fatigue bodybuilding circuits if jumping higher is your priority.

Move every concentric repetition with maximal safe intent, even when a heavy load causes the bar to move slowly.

End the set when your technique deteriorates significantly or the reps become grinding.

Progressive overload can involve adding weight, completing another high-quality repetition, improving your range of motion, moving the same load faster, or performing the exercise with greater control.

Shortening rest periods is usually less useful for maximal strength and power because accumulated fatigue can reduce movement speed and exercise quality.

Combine Bilateral and Unilateral Strength Training

Bilateral exercises such as front squats, back squats, and trap bar deadlifts allow you to produce high total forces.

Unilateral exercises such as Bulgarian split squats, step-ups, and single-leg deadlifts improve single-leg strength, stability, and control.

You do not need to choose between them.

Combining both approaches creates a stronger foundation for two-foot jumps, one-foot takeoffs, landings, sprinting, and changes of direction.

A lower-body strength session might include:

1. Three to five sets of two to five maximal-quality jumps
2. Three to five sets of a trap bar deadlift or squat variation
3. Three or four sets of Bulgarian split squats or step-ups
4. Two or three sets of Romanian or single-leg deadlifts
5. Two to four sets of calf, ankle, or trunk work

Perform your fastest and most technically demanding jumps shortly after warming up, while your nervous system is fresh.

Heavy strength work can follow, with secondary and accessory exercises placed later in the session.

Improve Relative Strength, Not Just Your Max Numbers

Getting stronger can help you jump higher, but your gym numbers must be interpreted relative to your bodyweight.

Adding 50 pounds to your squat is not automatically beneficial if it is accompanied by excessive weight gain, worsening movement quality, or persistent joint pain.

That doesn’t mean you should aggressively diet to improve athletic performance.

Severe calorie restriction can compromise training quality, recovery, muscle retention, and power output.

Instead, aim to maintain a healthy and functional body composition while consuming enough protein, carbohydrates, and total calories to support your training.

If fat loss is appropriate, use a gradual approach that protects your strength and energy.

The best strength program for increasing your vertical jump does more than make you better at lifting weights.

It increases the amount of force you can produce, improves how efficiently your body works as one unit, and prepares you to convert that strength into explosive jumping performance.

Plyometric Exercises

Strength gives you a larger engine. Plyometric training teaches you to use that engine quickly.

Jumps, hops, bounds, and certain medicine ball throws train the stretch-shortening cycle, which is your body’s ability to rapidly absorb force and redirect it into explosive movement.

The common mistake is treating plyometrics as conditioning.

High-quality jump training requires low fatigue, intentional effort, and enough rest between sets.

If your jump height drops significantly, your landings become noisy, or your knees start caving inward, the quality work is over.

While plyometric exercises weren’t the only tool I used, they undeniably contributed to my progress.

Exercises like box jumps, broad jumps, and jump squats, all forms of plyometrics, offer substantial benefits relating to explosive compound movements.

Such movements are usually performed with body weight or minimal loads, and the primary objective of engaging in this form of training is to condition your body for maximum force production within a minimal time.

However, you should start with low-impact movements if you are new to jumping or returning after time away.

Pogo jumps, snap-downs, squat jumps, and low box jumps are useful options.

As your strength and landing mechanics improve, you can progress to countermovement jumps, broad jumps, repeated hurdle hops, and more demanding single-leg work.

Typically, reps are kept low while intensity and effort are prioritized.

Efforts should be made to execute each movement as explosively as possible, which helps maximize vertical jump performance.

Incorporating targeted and intense plyometric training at specific intervals in your workout routine and training cycle can significantly benefit your running and jumping abilities.

Our muscular system comprises both fast and slow-twitch muscle fibers, with the former being the strongest and largest fibers in our body.

Fast-twitch muscle fibers are conditioned through heavy lifting, explosive movements, and anaerobic activities.

Slow-twitch muscle fibers, on the other hand, are built for endurance. For most athletes, the fast-twitch muscle fibers are crucial!

Plyometric training exercises like broad jumps and box jumps help increase efficiency and strength by developing fast-twitch muscle fibers.

Proper plyometric training can elevate an average athlete to great heights, just as ineffective training can limit a great athlete from achieving their full potential.

Some trainers and coaches tend to avoid plyometric training, considering the movements too challenging to teach and potentially dangerous. However, without plyometric training, your body may not reach its maximum explosive potential.

While I’m not one to include an excessive variety of plyometric exercises in a single workout, targeted plyometric training definitely plays a crucial role in my workout routines.

Practicing broad jumps and box jumps will help you learn proper jumping and landing technique, making these movements more natural and safe when you are competing in physical sports.

Furthermore, you want to make sure you can have adequate recovery time after a period of prolonged plyometric exercise training.

Based on research published in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, both four-week and seven-week plyometric training programs yield comparable results in terms of improving vertical jump height, vertical jump power, and anaerobic power, provided they’re succeeded by a four-week rest period.

Nonetheless, without the implementation of this recovery time, the four-week regimen may not be as beneficial as the seven-week program.

Plyometric exercises are a necessity for many athletes, but need to be programmed intelligently.

Although it is not my favorite form of vertical jump training, it is still crucial.

If your strength and conditioning coach has you routinely just jumping over objects or trying to perform maximal height box jumps, you are risking injury for very little reward.

My strategy with plyometric exercises is to always perform them in correlation with strength exercises, to maximize the production of fast-twitch muscle fibers.

Why do we do plyometric exercises like box jumps or broad jumps?

Primarily, plyometric exercises such as broad jumps and box jumps enable you to leverage the stretch-shortening cycle of your legs, thereby developing the use of elastic energy.

• For most people, 20 to 40 high-quality ground contacts in a session is enough when starting out.
• Advanced athletes may tolerate more, but more is not automatically better.
  • Tendons and joints adapt more slowly than your motivation does.

With that in mind, here are the three best plyometric exercises for increasing your vertical jump:

Box Jumps

Box jumps are a jumping exercise where an athlete projects from the ground and lands on an elevated box.  

Although it may seem elementary, there is more to box jumps than you see from a distance.

The execution of box jumps involves numerous factors that can contribute to either excellent or poor results, including the risk of injury.

• Do you walk, run, or jump from a static position onto the box?
• Are you propelling off one or two feet, and is the jump initiated from a countermovement or a static stance?
• How high is the box?
• What is your motivation for performing box jumps?

Effectively answering these questions will significantly influence the results you get from this plyometric exercise.

Here is a video showcasing me performing some basic box jumps during my recovery from an ankle injury in 2015:

In general, there are a variety of benefits of doing box jumps.

Box jumps help boost your strength and muscle tone, building both your upper and lower body strength.

By compelling you to jump as high as possible, every muscle in your legs, along with your arms, is engaged to propel your body upwards.

Box jumps rank among the most effective ways to burn calories.

During a jump, your body can burn approximately 800 to 1,000 calories per hour, compared to the 200 to 300 calories burnt per hour walking.

High-intensity jumping, including broad jumps and box jumps, prompts significant changes in mitochondria (where fuel is converted into energy), causing your body to burn fat before carbohydrates – a considerable advantage for weight loss.

Although it’s unlikely you’ll jump at high intensity for an entire hour, the concept is clear!

You can utilize a sufficiently high bench or any other securely fixed structure for box jumps. There’s no need for specific equipment, making the exercise quite adaptable.

Box jumps aid in increasing your vertical jump, endurance, speed, and coordination, all of which contribute to improving performance in any sports activity.

For efficient use of box jumps and maximum results, consider these points:

Begin in an athletic stance, ensuring your feet are shoulder-width apart. Maintain a comfortable distance from the box.

Once ready, quickly drop into a squat position and extend your hips. Swing your arms and push your feet through the floor to propel yourself onto the box.

Aim for a quiet and soft landing to minimize impact on your tendons, ligaments, joints, and bones.

Ensure sufficient distance from the box to prevent hitting it during the arm swing.

Begin with low boxes before gradually progressing to higher ones. Maintaining proper form is key!

Box jumps can be incorporated at almost any point in a workout, but they’re particularly effective when your legs are freshest, enabling explosive performance.

For a more challenging variation, there are advanced versions. For instance, here’s a single-leg box jump variation I employed during my ankle rehabilitation back in 2015:

In my opinon, this is one of the best exercises for baskeball players and athletes of other similar sports, who need to develop hip power and vertical jumping without putting too much impact on their knees.

Broad Jumps

The primary advantage of the broad jump lies in its ability to improve explosive strength and the speed of your jumps.

Also known as standing long jumps, this exercise is invaluable for any athlete needing to quickly lift their feet off the ground, either vertically or horizontally.

By incorporating broad jumps into your exercise regimen, you establish a functional approach to improve overall performance.

To increase your broad jump performance, perfecting the movement is crucial.

This can be achieved through repetitive practice, exerting full force on each repetition.

Another way to improve your broad jump involves adding resistance to your movements.

Using bungees to create resistance is a viable option, provided you maintain proper technique.

Broad jumps can also be performed uphill for added resistance.

I often perform broad jumps uphill on grassy slopes, as this method also helps reduce landing force.

Performing broad jumps this way necessitates greater force, introducing a unique stimulus to the exercise!

Perhaps the most significant benefit of broad jumps is the improvement of fast-twitch muscle fiber reaction it produces.

Similar to other plyometric exercises, broad jumps require your leg and core muscles to contract quickly, helping generate maximum force with each leap.

Including one or two plyometric exercises per week can notably boost your explosive strength, which in turn will positively influence your sprinting and jumping performance.

For a challenging and advanced variation of the traditional broad jump, check out this video:

Jump Squats

Another straightforward plyometric exercise to consider is jump squats!

While many variations exist, the basic jump squat exercise remains just as effective.

I view this exercise as a precursor to the box jump and broad jump, given that the jump squat involves a simple vertical leap.

This exercise is an exceptional plyometric activity and doesn’t require any equipment.

Once you’ve mastered the basic jump squat, you might consider more challenging variations.

Take a look at the jump squat variations below that incorporate kettlebells.

These three exercises effectively challenge the body in distinct ways, each offering immense benefits for improving your vertical jump.

These exercises are centered around one primary movement, the Burpee/Jump Squat, illustrating how subtle variations can lead to significantly different training impacts.

The first exercise is essentially a “Tri-set,” with resistances changing for each set of five.

For the first kettlebell, I use the medium weight of my three, weighing 14kgs.

The second weight I utilize necessitates a much broader range of motion since it’s a dumbbell (not a kettlebell), and it is the lightest of the three, at 20lbs.

The final weight is the heaviest overall with the least range of motion. This kettlebell is taller than the first, further reducing the range of motion, but it’s nearly 10lbs heavier!

Note that it’s unnecessary to go excessively heavy with any of these exercises. As demonstrated earlier, the jump squat generally correlates better with power outputs at lower resistances.

Avoid the temptation to work with excessive weight and risk an injury.

The alternating range of motion and resistance directly improve leg power, translating to substantial benefits for your vertical jump!

The second exercise keeps the same weight throughout the set but includes a hurdle step between each burpee/jump squat.

Training this particular step proves invaluable for both vertical jump and speed training as it improves the functional capacity of the hip flexor.

Incorporating this dynamic movement stimulates the hip flexor and its associated muscles, as well as all components of the gluteus.

This approach to the KettleBell Burpee/Jump Squat allows your glutes and hips to function more fluidly than in other variations, which carries significant benefits due to this!

The final exercise becomes more challenging due to an added endurance factor and distinct muscle stimulation.

By “yoke” carrying the kettlebells back and forth, your gluteus muscles are significantly activated, and your legs are stimulated with each step.

Walking to and fro with the weights in a racked position like this is immensely metabolically stimulating, as a substantial number of muscles are engaged.

This ties in superbly with vertical jump improvements as your muscle endurance is put to the test throughout the set and you’re still required to perform a loaded jump every 20 yards!

Always keep the weight at a manageable level, and do not do any exercises where your form cannot be nearly perfect.

Train Deceleration and Force Absorption

Learning how to produce force is only one part of vertical jump training.

You must also be able to absorb force through your ankles, knees, and hips when you land.

I have focused heavily on this during my own lower-body rebuilding process.

Lunge drops, depth drops, and controlled landing exercises have helped me reconnect the strength and mobility I develop in the gym with the positions I need while playing basketball.

Force absorption is primarily an eccentric action, meaning your muscles produce tension as they lengthen to slow your body down.

Improving this ability can help you control landings, changes of direction, and the countermovement that occurs immediately before you jump.

This does not mean you should land in an excessively deep squat.

The goal is to distribute force efficiently while maintaining balance, foot pressure, and control of the ankle, knee, and hip.

Deceleration Exercises I Use

Some of my preferred exercises for improving force absorption include:

• Lunge drops: Quickly descend into a split-stance position and stabilize without allowing the front knee or foot to collapse inward.
• Depth drops: Step from a low box, land on two feet, and hold the landing until you are completely balanced.
• Single-leg depth drops: Progress to these only after you can consistently control two-leg landings.
• Lateral bounds: Jump from one leg to the other and briefly stabilize before beginning the next repetition.
• Lateral bound and hurdle-hop combinations: Bound laterally, control the landing, and then perform a quick hop over and back across a low hurdle.
• Sprint decelerations: Accelerate toward a cone, gradually lower your hips, and use several controlled steps to stop without reaching excessively far forward or absorbing everything through a rigid knee.

How to Progress Landing Training

Begin with low heights and predictable movement patterns.

Land quietly, maintain pressure through your whole foot, and keep your knee tracking in line with your toes before adding more height, speed, or complexity.

A simple progression could look like this:

1. Snap-down to an athletic stance
2. Two-leg depth drop and hold
3. Lunge drop and hold
4. Single-leg landing and hold
5. Lateral bound and stabilize
6. Depth drop into an immediate vertical jump
7. Reactive lateral bounds, hurdle hops, or sport-specific combinations

Landing drills should be performed while you are relatively fresh.

Two to four sets of three to five controlled repetitions per side are usually more productive than performing dozens of fatigued landings with deteriorating mechanics.

Stop the set if your landings become loud, your balance worsens, your knees begin collapsing inward, or you feel increasing discomfort in a tendon or joint.

Force-absorption training should improve control, not simply test how much impact your body can tolerate.

For basketball players, this work is especially valuable because most jumps do not occur in isolation.

You may need to land after a rebound, absorb contact, change direction, and jump again within a few seconds.

Key Takeaway: If you want to increase your vertical jump, do not train only to leave the ground. Build the eccentric strength and landing control necessary to absorb force, maintain position, and turn that force into your next explosive movement.

Aquatic Plyometrics

Plyometric training in water is incredibly beneficial, and all you need is a pool deeper than your waist.

Land plyometrics can be tough on joints and taxing on your Central Nervous System, restricting your training to once or twice a week.

Aquatic plyometrics, however, are gentler on the joints and can be more effective, as a study published in The Journal of Sport Rehabilitation suggests.

This form of aquatic training has been shown to improve sprint speed, vertical jump, and strength in young athletes.

Several exercises, such as tuck jumps, vertical jumps, single leg bounds, and lateral bounds, can be performed in a pool with minimal space and high effectiveness.

Aquatic plyometrics also promote less muscular fatigue and can be done more frequently than land plyometrics, as stated by a study in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.

In addition to the above, aquatic plyometrics offer several benefits:

1. Better Joint Function: Water training allows your muscles and joints to lengthen efficiently, leading to proper movement patterns and reduced strain.
2. Improved Peak Power: This training method reduces the time between eccentric and concentric contractions, boosting muscle speed and power.
3. Stability: The water aids in stabilizing the knee, hip, and ankle joints.
4. Injury Prevention: Studies show a decrease in acute knee injuries and improved vertical jump performance with aquatic plyometric training.
5. Reduced Impact: The water’s density and buoyancy counteract gravity, lowering the overall impact on your body.

Aquatic training can also significantly burn calories without stressing bones or joints, making it a fantastic choice for athletes recovering from injuries.

Moreover, it stimulates blood flow, improving overall body health.

I adopted aquatic plyometric training at 19, and it incredibly boosted my vertical leap by about 8 inches in a summer of intense use.

As my abilities grew, so did my methods.

I genuinely believe any athlete can benefit from incorporating aquatic plyometrics into their training program.

Olympic Weightlifting

Olympic lifts, including the clean and jerk and power snatch, can provide significant improvements to your vertical jump.

However, these exercises require careful execution as improper form can lead to injuries.

If you’re unfamiliar with these movements, it’s advisable to start with light weights and perfect your technique before adding more weight.

The effectiveness of Olympic lifts in increasing vertical jump height is confirmed by a study in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.

It found that a combined training program incorporating traditional weightlifting exercises, Olympic-style lifts, and plyometric drills led to significantly greater improvements in vertical jump performance and leg strength.

Uphill Training

Integrating uphill training into your routine can significantly improve your sprinting, hopping, and bounding while also being kinder to your joints.

Despite its multiple benefits, uphill training is a secret weapon seldom deployed.

This approach is easier on your joints and harder on your muscles—a double whammy that can help you reach your fitness goals more efficiently.

The reason?

Training at an uphill angle diminishes the impact on your joints while compelling your muscles to work harder due to the incline.

Thus, you can effectively improve strength and endurance without causing excessive strain on your knees and hips.

This equates to more efficient workouts that leave your body fresher for subsequent training sessions.

To understand the comparative benefits, perform a set of 5-10 two-foot long jumps on a flat surface, then repeat the exercise on a slight incline.

You’re likely to understand the difference in stress on your joints almost immediately.

While flat ground running certainly has its place in a balanced workout routine, integrating uphill angle training can provide additional benefits that are too advantageous to ignore.

Always remember, maintaining a balanced workout regime is crucial, but don’t underestimate the gains you can make by occasionally taking your training uphill!

Recovery

Your vertical jump can improve only if your muscles, tendons, and nervous system recover from training.

Unfortunately, sleep and recovery, overall, are among the most overlooked performance tools.

Consistently sleeping too little can reduce coordination, reaction time, motivation, and power output.

Aim for a consistent sleep schedule, eat enough total calories to support your workload, and include carbohydrates before and after demanding lower-body sessions.

Protein supports muscle repair, but carbohydrates are especially valuable during repeated high-intensity efforts such as lifting, sprinting, and jumping.

Pay attention to persistent joint pain. Normal muscle soreness is different from sharp pain, worsening tendon pain, swelling, or instability.

If you have a history of ankle, knee, hip, or back injuries, work with a qualified sports physical therapist or coach before progressing to high-impact plyometrics.

Key Takeaway: The athletes who make the best long-term gains are rarely the ones who crush themselves for two weeks. They train hard, land well, add volume gradually, and stay patient enough to let strength and explosiveness build month after month.

Improve Your Technique

A standing vertical jump usually begins with a countermovement: a quick dip of the hips, knees, and ankles before you drive upward.

The goal is not to squat as deeply as possible. It is to find a comfortable, athletic dip that lets you load quickly without losing tension.

Keep your feet about hip- to shoulder-width apart, distribute pressure through your whole foot, and let your knees track in line with your toes.

Drive your arms back during the dip, then swing them aggressively upward as you extend through your hips, knees, and ankles.

Finish tall through the ankles instead of cutting the jump short.

Your landing matters just as much.

Land softly with your knees bent, hips back slightly, and knees tracking over your feet.

Good landings build confidence and help reduce the risk of overload at the knees, ankles, and Achilles tendons.

If you are training for basketball, volleyball, or another sport, also practice the jumps you use in that sport.

A two-foot approach jump, one-foot takeoff, and rebound jump each have different coordination demands.

General strength builds the base, but sport-specific practice teaches you to express it under realistic conditions

How to Increase Your Vertical Jump at Home

When it comes to improving your vertical jump, gym membership and extensive equipment are not absolute necessities.

In fact, you can make significant strides from the comfort of your own home using bodyweight exercises.

You can improve your vertical jump at home with exercises including:

• Sprints
• Planks
• Body Squats
• Sit-ups
• Push-ups
• Lunges
• Step-Ups
• Jump Squats
• And more!

The key to home-based training is maintaining focus and ensuring that your workouts are short but intense.

Lower body circuits requiring only your bodyweight can be particularly effective for improving jumping capabilities.

Alongside these exercises, it’s essential to prioritize core strength and body fat reduction.

A strong core is vital for a powerful jump, and you can easily integrate exercises such as planks and sit-ups into your home routine to strengthen and tone your abdominal muscles.

Here’s an example of how to do a vertical jump workout at home:

1. Begin with a proper dynamic warm-up to get your muscles and joints ready. This could involve jump roping, agility ladder work, or dynamic stretching.
2. Mark off a distance of approximately 80-100 yards, identifying the exact midpoint. Soccer or football fields can be perfect for this due to their marked center lines.
3. Next, perform 20 sprints to the midpoint, followed by 10-20 jumping jacks. Consistency is key here, with the aim of gradually increasing the number of jumping jacks with each subsequent workout.
4. After the sprint and jumping jacks, walk to the other end line, turn around, and repeat this sequence 10-20 times.
5. You want to maintain maximal speed, so stop when you start feeling your sprints slowing down. When your legs begin to fatigue, it’s time to call it a day.

Not only will this workout increase your speed and vertical jump, but it also introduces the often-underrated jumping jack exercise.

Jumping jacks engage nearly the entire body, with a notable impact on the gluteus minimus, a frequently neglected muscle.

Strengthening the gluteus minimus can help alleviate stress on your lower body joints and lower back, supporting a stronger, more stable jump.

Overall, with focus, intensity, and consistency, you can effectively increase your vertical jump right from home.

Sample Weekly Structure for Your Vertical Jump Program

You do not need a separate six-day program to make progress. The following structure works well for many adults who already lift or play recreational sports:

• Day 1: Lower-body strength, followed by three to five sets of three countermovement jumps.
• Day 2: Upper-body training, mobility work, or light conditioning.
• Day 3: Plyometric session with low-volume jumps, hops, and acceleration work.
• Day 4: Rest or easy movement such as walking, cycling, and mobility work.
• Day 5: Lower-body strength with unilateral training and a few broad jumps or box jumps.
• Weekend: Play your sport, recover, or take a full rest day based on soreness and schedule.

Keep maximal jumping away from the end of exhausting leg workouts whenever possible.

Explosive drills are usually most effective after your warm-up and before heavy lifting, when your nervous system is fresh.

If combining them in one session feels too demanding, separate your strength and jump work by several hours or place them on different days.

Final Thoughts: Can You Actually Increase Your Vertical Jump?

While not everyone is naturally gifted in athletics, it doesn’t mean one’s athletic potential is set in stone.

The key to improvement lies not just in relentless training but, more importantly, in training intelligently.

Intelligent training is about maximizing the efficiency of each workout, every day.

This includes knowing your limits and recognizing the difference between pushing yourself and risking injury.

Remember: you should only engage in strenuous workouts or exercises if you feel fully comfortable and ready.

Attempting to push through discomfort or pain isn’t productive; it’s potentially harmful.

It’s crucial to understand that an injured athlete is significantly less effective than an athlete gradually improving over time.

In fact, rushing progress can lead to setbacks that slow down your overall progress.

Training smart means being patient with yourself, acknowledging your current abilities, and setting realistic goals.

It involves maintaining a balanced regimen that combines hard work with rest and recovery.

By implementing these strategies, you are setting yourself up for sustainable improvement.

Train hard, but more importantly, train smart.

Embrace the journey of athletic improvement as a marathon, not a sprint.

With time, patience, and consistent effort, you can be confident that you will see the results you desire.