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For some athletes, increasing their vertical jump height can dramatically improve their competitiveness in their chosen sport.  Having the ability to jump higher than your opponent in a basketball game is an advantage every player, from the junior high athlete to professional player, would pay big money to possess.  Volleyball players dream of having the advantage at the net to jump higher and spike the ball.

While volleyball and basketball are two sports most commonly thought of when looking at vertical jump height, athletes in other sports can benefit from training that would result in increased vertical jump heights.

Vertical jump height is one of the tests used to rate an athlete’s speed, power, agility, reaction and quickness, or SPARQ.  Created by Nike, the rating system tells an athlete, coach or trainer where the athlete can improve and in which areas an athlete should concentrate training.

The vertical jump height measures explosiveness.  This gives coaches a reliable indication of the speed of the athlete, which is valuable knowledge in sports like football, ice hockey, soccer and baseball.

The current record holder for highest vertical jump is Kadour Ziani.  Standing only

5’ 10”, Ziani’s record vertical jump height is 56 inches.  Imagine being able to jump over 4 feet into the air.  Believe it or not, NFL player Randy Moss ranks sixth, standing 6’ 4” with a vertical jump height of 51 inches.  Moss beats out Michael Jordan.  Jordan comes in at 15, standing 6’6” with a vertical jump height of 48 inches.

Aside from athletes, dancers can benefit from increased jump heights.  Ballet and modern dancers must at times perform jumps while either from a standing position or while in motion.  Imagine the dancer who can leap higher than the rest of the ensemble.  That extra height could literally be a career boost.

Studies such as the one conducted by Brown, Wells and Schade in 2007 and published in the Journal of Dance Medicine and Science conclude that plyometric training (drop jumps) and weight training significantly improved the vertical jump height of female ballet and modern dancers by 14 percent and 22 percent respectively.

Basically, athletes in any sport or discipline where speed and strength are important can benefit from improving their vertical jump height.  It builds strength and the ability to apply that strength quickly.  Your body learns to be more efficient in its movement.  Training to improve your vertical jump height also produces a body that is lean and muscled.

The Jump Manual, created by Jacob Hiller, is just one of the many programs available to improve your vertical jump height.  Hiller’s program is backed by scientific studies touting the effectiveness of training to improve vertical jump height, and is suitable for all ages and stages of activity.