5 Keys To Increaseing Your Vertical Jump

With basketball and volleyball right around the corner many athletes are looking to increase their vertical. Many factors lead to top end verticals; flexibility, proper training, proper jump training, jump technique and enough rest is needed to optimally increase the vertical. What we’re going to do is give you the 5 keys or exercises that we use at Athletic Edge that have helped a dozen d1 volleyball players reach their top verticals in camp this year. Over the summer we get a group of volleyball players that have to attain certain goals most of which have to do with jumping and conditioning. We are going to give some of our keys that have helped them reach their personal bests this year. These are in no specific order and should always be done with a certified sports performance coach to ensure proper technique and coaching ques.

1. Flexibility- Flexibility is key in any program for strength and conditioning. This is because the hip flexors are so important for explosion upward. If we are tight in the hips it is very hard to explode through what is called triple extension (ankles, knees and hip alignment). This triple extension is the power behind the vertical. So we need to be properly warmed up using some various methods: foam rolling, active warm up, muscle activation and cns activation. These four concepts will help improve your vertical immensely.

2. Depth jump landing to depth jumps- learning how to properly land is also key to understanding how to jump. To work on depth jump landing simply stand on a box and step down and land. Making sure your feet are shoulder width and you’re in an athletic position. This is important because volleyball and basketball players all use repetitive jumping and making sure you can land and jump again with the same power is important. We must always learn to land before we learn to jump. Depth jumps are simple and one of the most important exercises to do because of the quick response the body needs and how the cns reacts to this type of training. You start off the same on the box, step down, and then jump up as quickly as possible. This is very intensive on the cns and has been used for many years as a training method to increase verts. To make this even more challenging put some hurdles in front of the box and do depth jumps that way.

3. Resisted jumps- there are many ways to do resisted jumping and some of them are; the Vertimax, resisted cords and vests. These are the basis of resisted methods we use at Athletic Edge. The Vertimax is by far one of the best pieces of equipment you can get. It is one of the few if not only piece that resists the athlete from the waist down. This is important again because of the cns intensive training and triple extension. This resistance makes the body work extremely hard to overcome the interia the weight is putting the body through. Repeated use of resistant training gives the body muscle memory thus increasing the vertical.

4. Strength training specifically squats and posterior chain- squatting, whatever type it may be (back squats, front squats, box squats, safety squats and sumo squats) are one of the best things to do for increasing power in the lower body. Depending on your training history and age you can do anything from bodyweight squatting to heavy band squatting the point is you’re squatting. The muscles used to squat are the same muscles used to jump and explode upward. Again we are talking about overcoming inertia and driving the hips, butt and torso upward. The posterior chain, which is the glutes and the hamstrings, are very important not only in jumping but also acl prevention. This is especially true in women as there is a 5x more likely hood that acl tears will happen compared to men. This is due to poor activation of the posterior chain. Some exercises we do are: bridge series, RDL’s and SL RDL’s.

5. Single Leg training- While duel leg training like squatting and jumping are extremely important we must realize one leg is always stronger than the other. Single leg training (SL) is important to do because we need the most power out of each leg possible. Training in this fashion ensures proper acceleration and power when doing 2 legged jumping. Some exercises we do are lunge walks; rear leg elevated squats, pistol squats and SL RDL’s. These exercises are extremely vital to the athlete and give the athlete not only strength but most importantly power through the whole lower body. These types of exercises also help with prevention of ACL problems as many females suffer from over compensation. We also incorporate SL work into all keys of warm up including SL jump roping, agility ladder drills, mini SL jumps forward and lateral and over objects. We also incorporate SL jumps to double leg landing and Double leg jumps to SL landings.

These 5 keys are very important to incorporate into your training. Remember to always warm up properly and consult with a certified strength and conditioning coach to ensure proper program design and conditioning. Here at Athletic Edge Sports Performance, inc. we make sure that all of our athletes are doing some sort of these 5 keys to jumping. Remember there are many variations we use because of how many different age groups we have. If you have any questions or need descriptions of exercise don’t hesitate to ask. We also do offer on line training now at the Edge in speed, agility, strength training and jump training. Again don’t hesitate to ask. We hope this helps and gives description to how important these 5 keys are to increasing your vertical but also helping secure your ACL.

Coach Brad is a certified strength and conditioning coach under the CSCS with a degree in Exercise Science and owner of Athletic Edge Sports Performance, Inc.

He has been training all types of athletes for 7 years including many division 1 baseball, football, volleyball and basketball players. Coach Brad also deals a lot with youth athletes and athletes coming off of injury. Coach Troy is also CSCS certified and has a degree in Physical Education. He has been in the field for 15 years training athletes from grammar school to professional.

Contact Coach Brad or Troy at 773-610-FAST (3278) or email at llmb@prodigy.net check out the website at www.athleticedgesports.net and stay tuned for prevention of ACL and Jump Training videos.

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By the way… if you’re a dedicated athlete with a desire to excel at your sport, would you like more tips on how to jump higher?

<== Check out The Jump Manual **Click Here**

Increase Football Speed & Quickness Interview with Alex Maroko

Click the player below to get free access to this underground Strength Camp
coaching session with Speed & Quickness Coach Alex Maroko.

Listen Here ==> [podcast]http://hulsestrength.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Alex TAQ.mp3[/podcast]

To Get Your 5 Free Quickness Videos…
Go Here NOW ====> http://hulsestrength.com/recommends/Quickness

During this sesssion you are going to learn:

- Proven, cutting-edge methods that guarantee results for athletes of all sports, levels and ages.

- Brand-new training methods that will get you noticeable results in just a few weeks.

- Workouts that will never take you more than 16 minutes, and guarantee the speed and quickness advantage a successful athlete needs.

Check out these sick moves!

To Get Your 5 Free Quickness Videos…
Go Here NOW ====> http://hulsestrength.com/recommends/Quickness

Truth About Quickness Teleseminar

Tell me, does this describe you?

=> You or your athletes are as strong as Bessy The Blue Ox but as heavy footed and slow as a sloth.

=> Your athletes seem to have their feet “stuck in mud” while the other team’s super stars are sprinting circles around them (while maliciously tapping him on the shoulder and playing “duck and hide”).

=> It always seems as if your athletes legs are spinning in circles but going no where, just like Elmer Fudd when hunting that “Waskally Wabbit…

If so, then you can finally remove your palms from your wet, tearful face and breathe a sigh of fresh air…

Because for the first (and perhaps only) time, tonight I am opening up the lines to my PRIVATE MEMBERS ONLY MONTHLY CALL-IN where I will introduce you to a genetically average “kid” who discovered a simple yet effective method for transforming himself from being as “heavy legged” as the weighty waitress in IHop to being as quick as a whip.

BUT FIRST! – If you’re anything like me you probably don’t want to waste an entire precious hour on ANY Tuesday evening listenign to some dude you’ve never heard of rant about how he’s made himself into a speed demon by bouncing around on a hardwood floor.

So, make sure you take a good look at this free video course that he is giving away in the link at the bottom of this email.

Here are the details for tonight’s call!

When ==> Tuesday July 7th @ 9:00 PM EST

Where ==> 712-775-7100  code – 1029922*

*** STOP RIGHT NOW! — Go and write the information above on your left forearm in purple ink so that you won’t forget!  I am NOT sending out a reminder email so be a “grown up” and make sure you remember to get on this call.

Oh, and before I forget…. get the free “Truth About Qucikness” video course that is being offered in the link below

Go Here NOW ====> http://hulsestrength.com/recommends/Quickness

–

Can Creatine Make You Jump Higher?

Here is an another great guest post by Coach Jacob Hiller author of The Jump Manual , about using creatine to increase your vertical jump! –> Learn How To Increase Your Vertical Jump!

Creatine is a nitrogenous organic acid that supplies energy to muscle, proven to help increase muscles by Harvard University professors in 1912. This substance is naturally found in skeletal vertebrae.

Why should this be used in conjunction with vertical jump training?

1. Recent research has shown that the consumption of high glycemic carbohydrates in conjunction with Creatine increases muscle store and performance. This is a great way to increase the strength needed for increased vertical jump.

2. Creatine increases power during short sessions of high-intensity aerobic exercise. This is especially important when you are training for explosion for your vertical jump in brief but powerful sessions at the gym.

3. Studies done with Creatine and mice show an improvement in lifespan and overall health of the mice. Other tests proved that in particular, vegetarians improved mentally and cognitively with its use, which is found in meat products. Research is also being done to test the effectiveness of Creatine supplementation for those with a variety of muscular and neurological diseases.

Successful athletes who have openly used this substance:

- Linford Christie, 100 meter Olympic gold medalist
- Sally Gunnell, 400 meter hurdles Olympic gold medalist
- Mark McGuire, Athletics and Cardinals Major League baseball player
- Gary Sheffield, Mets Major League baseball player

In actuality, probably all popular athletes use this supplementation.

Who shouldn’t use creatine?

You can always ask your doctor to be safe, but those with renal dysfunctions (kidney problems) are advised to avoid creatine. Also, “loading,” or consumption of more than 20g per day, should be avoided. Drinking enough water with your creatine intake is the most important thing to remember when using the supplement.

For a healthy athlete, Creatine is a proven safe method to increase muscle mass and a healthy way to obtain more of what the body already naturally produces. Creatine is accepted in most athletic circles as the most effective way to achieve your athletic potential via muscle gain, including increasing vertical jump.

By the way… if you’re a dedicated athlete with a desire to excel at your sport, would you like more tips on how to jump higher?

<== Check out The Jump Manual **Click Here**

Jacob Hiller is the creator of a bestselling vertical jump program,
The Jump Manual , and is considered one of the world’s foremost authorities on vertical jump training.

PS – Check out this awesome deal on Hypergain Creatine

How Increase Your Vertical Jump

Here is an awesome guest post by Coach Jacob Hiller author of The Jump Manual , about the pros and cons of what he calls “Habitual Jump Training”.  Learn How To Increase Your Vertical Jump!

Today I want to talk to you about something called “Habitual Jump Training.” Some of you have heard of it– one of the very first programs available for training your vertical was a habitual jump training program and there’s a lot of people out there who have used the program or who are currently using the program.

I just want to shed some light on how you can get the best results, or basically, how this program works. For those of you who don’t know, habitual jump training is basically repeatedly jumping in order to make your body become accustomed to that activity and thus improve. So the precept is very simple. I like how in the videos it talks about the kangaroo effect that eventually happens because you’re jumping over and over again.

What it is going to do is teach you to do is to jump at a certain level for a certain period of time: it will increase your endurance. For those of you who have noticed results on habitual jump training, there’s a few reasons. The first one is that it is teaching you the mechanics of jumping, and there’s a benefit there.

The other thing is, although there’s a lot of volume, for many of you doing the program, for the first 10 or 20 reps, you’re probably jumping a lot higher in the beginning, so you’re doing more reps, and your intensity is going to lower. So most of your gains will be taking place at the very first portion of this workout, when the intensity’s high, with more maximum effort.

The problem is, when you habitually jump over and over, you’re training your endurance, not your explosion. This means that eventually your gains are going to stall out. Therefore, if you’re looking for max gains in your vert, jump at max explosion every time; don’t wait for gains to come with habitual jump training.

By the way… if you’re a dedicated athlete with a desire to excel at your sport, would you like more tips on how to jump higher?

<== Check out The Jump Manual  **Click Here**

Jacob Hiller is the creator of a bestselling vertical jump program,
The Jump Manual ,  and is considered one of the world’s foremost authorities on vertical jump training.

Speed & Agility Training for Football and Fitness

Perhaps the one area where you can be the most creative with increasing athleticsm in your athletes and for good fitness fun is….

Agility Training

You may disagree with me on this, but I feel that the best way to motivate your athletes and to keep them interested in training is to hold competitions and play games often.

Watch as I train these high school and college football players using a common childhood game.

I loaded the Gridiron Strongman System book with over 20 different games and competitions to get you super fast and jacked!

Check it out here: http://www.FootballStrengthProgram.com

Football Training – Medicine Ball Chest Pass

Getting your bench press up is great!  Being able to transfer that push strength into the face of an opponent… PRICELESS!

Whether you’re a Running Back thrusting a devastating stiff arm at the neck of a would-be tackler or a D-Lineman jamming your powerful grip into the chest of a slothful and lazy O-Lineman…

You gotta have a FAST and EXPLOSIVE push!!!

Build strength with bench presses and unleash your speed with these medicine ball chest passes:

Strongman Training For POWER!

There are tons of folks out there who justifiably question my style of training.  They often wonder, “Is lifting heavy weights and flipping tires really going to make athletes faster and more powerful?”

According to a recent online test i took (sent by a goofy friend on Facebook) I am classified as a “Results Oriented” Personality Type.  Basically this means that I am less interested in the means by which things get done… I only concern myself with the results.

I must say that the test was “Spot On”.  Mostly, I am detached from HOW things get done… only that they get done.  This attitude has been a blessing and curse rolled in one.

But I must say, My Members & Clients Love It!

Check out this video of my buddy Tom Mutaffis that demonstrates just how powerful Strongman & Power Lifting can really make you.  My style of training DEFIES all of the rules… but it OBVIOUSLY works!

Hey, as a “Hulse-A-Manic” you have grown accustomed to my breaking the rules and getting results.

Let me know… How have you defied convention and still kicked butt?  (either in strength, fitness, life, love or anything else)

And if you get a chance check out my buddy Zach Even Esh’s “No Rules” Training Manual:
http://HulseStrength.com/recommends/NoRulesTraining

Sprint like a “run-away train”

Yesterday I taught you about my STRENGTH = SPEED philosophy…

Well, it isn’t that simple.  In fact one HulseStrength.com reader made sure that I acknowledged this.

Check out this video response to Coach Gaskell’s (from Hawaii !) comment on my Football Speed rant video from yesterday.

Make sure you also go back and read Coach Gaskell’s wise advice about building “graceful sprinter” that don’t run like they are “mad at the ground” from yesterday’s post.

Thanks Coach!  And thank all of you for commenting on my blog.

If there is anything that you would like me to do a specific tutorial video on, please let me know and I’ll get one up for you!

Remember, the price of my Football Strength Program will be going up pretty soon. And everyone who has a copy will be given an invitation to a special, exclusive program that I am developing. Join us before entry gets tougher: http://www.FootballStrengthProgram.com

Football Speed Truth (are you a Porsche or a Pinto?)

With all of the “newest innovations” and gadgets for developing athletic speed on the market, you would think that more of our lil’ rugrats would be faster runners.

Find out why 90% of all “speed schools” and “sprint programs” fail to get athletes faster. And why my Football Strength Program is the best way to get bigger, stronger and FASTER!!!

Check out this great email from Coach James Price, see what he has to say about the Football Strength Program:

Mr. Hulse,

My name is James Price, I am the Defense Coordinator for the Yokosuka Seahawks Football Team.  We are a Military football team here in Japan.   I subscribed to your program near the end of August this year.

We have a really nice gym for the weight training but I feel your strongman training is what we were missing.  We are spoiled with facilities to the point we don’t use them properly or get side tracked by all the crap in there.

We have been at it a little over a month now with 5 dedicated players and 2 or 3 new comers.  One month’s improvements are very noticeable, I am 43 and I have already dropped body fat and gained 10lbs solid muscle, I am doing the workout as well.

Thanks for your program and support,

James

Seahawks Defense Coordinator
www.yokoseahawks.info

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