Vertical Jump Exercises - A Multifaceted Approach

Vertical explosion training enables the athlete to jump higher and increase vertical jump height. This is a particularly useful skill for basketball and volleyball players. The only way to maximize your vertical jump explosion is by targeting every aspect of your vertical jump exercises and diet. Learn the correct principles, practices and techniques and apply them consistently. Learn what to do, how to do it and follow an optimized nutrition plan. Working one to one with an experienced coach is important if you are really serious about training. They will make sure you don't waste your time, energy and enthusiasm and will answer even your smallest question. A good coach will help you maintain confidence, dedication and motivation. An increase of one inch per week on your vertical jump is possible. With the correct guidance and attention to detail, you could be jumping an extra foot high in around three months. A personal trainer will also help you to maintain discipline, one of the most essential components to success and also the most difficult to come by sometimes. Like any high intensity sport, vertical explosion is prone to injuries like patellar tendonitis or jumper's knee. This can be avoided by using a multifaceted approach to injury prevention and incorporating a recovery phase in your training. Correctly balancing the muscles can reduce repetitive impact and improve flexibility. Principles - The science of training to produce fast, powerful movements and improving nervous system function in sports is called 'plyometrics'. When sensory receptors within a muscle are stimulated, the muscle will automatically contract. This is called the myotactic reflex. A plyometric contraction involves three phases. The 'eccentric phase' involves a rapid muscle lengthening. This is followed by the 'amortization phase', a short resting phase. The third phase, the 'concentric phase', is an explosive muscle shortening. It is important to understand the difference between muscle strength and muscle power. Strength is the ability to lift a heavy weight as opposed to a light one. Muscle power, on the other hand, is a combination of strength and speed. A good jumper might not have impressive strength, but they can produce what strength they do have rapidly and effectively. Plyometrics is used to improve speed-based power. It is important to target all of the muscles used in jumping, not just the large ones, i. E., quads and calf muscles. This is a common mistake. You will add inches, but you will not reach your full potential. Secondly, you need to train in the correct mode. Training for endurance is great if you want to jump continuously for a period of time, but to be able to jump high, you need to train for explosiveness. There are two types of muscle fiber, 'slow twitch' (Type I), which use oxygen to produce ATP (fuel for muscle contraction). These muscles are slow to fire but resist fatigue. Type II muscle fibers, on the other hand, are 'fast twitch'. They respire anaerobically and are better for generating short bursts of activity. Plyometrics is the exercise of these fast twitch muscle fibers to produce faster reactions.