How to jump higher! Vertical Jump Secrets from the World’s Best Strength Trainers – Part 6
First of all, be sure to check out parts 1 – 5
Here’s what was covered in these parts:
Part 1: Kettlebell exercises to jump higher
Part 2: Secrets of band training to improve your vertical jump
Part 3: What to do 22-23 hours outside the gym to maximize your vertical jump
Part 4: What does speed have to do with jumping higher?
Part 5: Technique, weaknesses and mobility to maximize your vertical
Of course, I couldn’t write an article on vertical jump training without discussing stair exercises. After all, they call me “The Stair Guy, the Stair Guru, and even the Step-Dad”! I was also lucky enough to see firsthand how valuable ladder training can be when I worked as a strength coach with the WNBA’s New York Liberty in 2002 and 2003. In fact, we found ourselves without places to train. Can you believe it? Well, at the time the New York Knicks training center was under construction and it really caused us problems.
So why am I so obsessed with stair training for power development? The first reason is that stairs lend themselves very well to plyometric training.
The exercises of choice are usually box jumps and jumping jacks when it comes to plyometric training. Ladders can replace the need for a box and limits don’t really require equipment. Another thing I like about stairs is that you can develop a rhythm which I think is very important. By this I mean that you jump from step to step for the prescribed number of repetitions. You really can’t do this with a box which makes stairs a better option.
Another thing is that I think a hard surface works best when doing power development training. A harder surface gives you better ground reaction force, making you more powerful. Some trainers actually use sand training and I think this actually defeats the purpose of getting a forceful stretching and shortening reaction. Keep this in mind, as a hard surface can be hard on your joints. Stair work for power development should be done no more than 2 times a week. And if it is in season it should be done only once a week with very low volume or low level hops (1 or 2 steps maximum) and a way of conditioning. Steve Cotter makes an excellent point in his talk on power development training: It’s like homeopathic medicine. You want some of the poison so you can adapt to it and become stronger and more powerful. Therefore, just a little power development training on the stairs can go a long way. Just remember to work hard, be intense, and don’t overdo it! In fact, our stair power building work only takes 15-25 minutes, 1-2 times a week.
Ladders are excellent equipment for plyometric training for many reasons. It has steps that serve as indicators of improvement. When an athlete starts out, it is possible that he can climb one step at a time. As the athlete improves, he can jump 2 to 3 or even 4 steps at a time, showing remarkable improvement.
Actual plyometric training equipment can be very expensive and is generally not available to many athletes. This is not the case with stairs.
The next reason is because stairs are great for high-level anaerobic conditioning and speed development. So what do I mean by high-end conditioning? Simple: The conditioning that leaves you hunched over and breathless. Getting in shape is important because jumping requires a lot from you. More importantly, a big jump is just a big jump. You also want to be able to have a great jump during an entire game of basketball. Don’t be the athlete who looks good in warm-ups when nothing is on the line. Be the athlete who can jump, block shots, rebound, dunk and make a difference in the fourth quarter.
On top of that, running and stair climbing for conditioning will improve strength and power. In fact, even if you only adopt stair running for conditioning, you’ll notice a significant improvement in strength and power. The reason for this is that you are training to move your body against gravity and that inherently has a strength and power component. Even more so, in season you’ll want to reduce the heavy lifting of power development because of all the jumping you’re already doing. But you can still do high-level anaerobic conditioning (usually running upstairs) because it’s time efficient and gives your buc (conditioning, strength, and power) a lot of a boost.