Do You Play Basketball or Volleyball? How to Improve Your Jumping Ability

One of the biggest desires of anyone who plays sports that involve some jumping, such as basketball or volleyball, is how to improve their jumping ability. Getting the edge on the rebound, or going vertical to hit that high volley, is a valuable skill in an athlete's arsenal.

I once went to school with a kid who was the best natural standing-long-jumper I ever saw. He was one of the smallest kids in class, but he bent his body like a grasshopper and sprang forward. He could jump more than his height, and that is pretty good for a grade schooler with no real training.

Too many athletes work on just their glutes or their legs. The truth is that several muscle groups are involved in jumping, and some of those muscles maybe a surprise to you.

OK, let's list them here. Abdominals. Calf muscles. Hamstrings. Quads. And finally glutes, the ones that you thought were the prime movers in this event. The middle three muscles listed are all leg muscles, no surprise there. But yes, abs are important too for jumping. If you want a super vertical jump you will need to work on all these muscles.

Let me briefly go over each muscle group to explain how they help in jumping.

The abdominals: Why do you think that most people bend over a bit before attempting a leap? The abs act a spring; you coil it by bending the waist, and extend it in the leaping motion.

The calf muscles: The calf is really two muscles, the gastrocnemius and the soleus, which join together at the bottom to form the Achilles tendon. But for our purposes, we will lump them together here and just call them calf muscles. How do you train your calf muscles to jump better? Simple exercises like jumping rope, toe raises, and rapid (or running) up stairs will do it.

The hamstrings: Sitting at the computer all day will tend to shorten your hamstrings, so get up and walk during your breaks. Simple stretches are called for here: stand against a wall and bend over for a couple of breaths. Your hamstrings and back muscles should relax and you should be able to do a deeper stretch. You can also lie on the floor and use a stretchy band or towel to support your leg as you make bigger and bigger circles.

The quads: Athletes often overwork these muscles to the point where their legs are unbalanced. Bunched up muscles are not as efficient at jumping as muscles that have been lengthened. This is a very important point so let me try to say it another way: the longer a muscle is, the more potential power it has. Running and jumping are good exercise, but you need to balance that with systematic stretching to not only increase power, but prevent injury.

And finally, glutes: There are actually three sets of glute muscles: one set is used to straighten your body or to stand upright, another set to move the leg to the outside, and another set to turn the leg inward. But the first set is the one that is primarily involved in jumping.

You can exercise all of the above by getting on a full-body press, the kind of machine where your back and feet have to push in opposite directions. This gets all the muscles coordinated in a motion that is similar to jumping. Build up gradually as far as weights go, and only do about 25 reps at a time. I have found that doing fewer reps, but doing them more often during the day, will improve strength quicker than exhausting yourself with hundreds - and then not being able to do ANY the next day because you are so sore.

The other major tip I want to pass along is to start on a program of yoga if you want a long career in any sport. Do you recall the name Kareem Abdul Jabbar? One of the notable things about his career, other than total points scored, was that he was rarely out injured. Did you know that he long studied yoga to improve his balance and flexibility? I recall seeing a picture of him in a magazine in a one-legged standing pose.

Yoga is a secret advantage in sports because number one, it tends to reduce injuries, and second, it improves flexibility and balance. Just doing basic beginner level exercises are a big help in reducing soreness and improving efficiency. Your muscles may bulge less, but it is more important to have more playing minutes over the course of a season if you are to have an impact on the team.

Best wishes :) Laura.