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Today I want to show you a 2-feet jumping technique that will allow you add instant inches to your vertical and will help you jump higher immediately.
So let’s talk about jumping higher with 2 feet…
When it comes to 2-feet jumping there’s actually a whole category in vertical leap training dedicated to just that.
If you really want to maximize your 2-feet takeoff and get a lot of gains, there are several things you should do.
In this post I’ll reveal to you two tips that will help you really fast just by teaching you the basics of how to move more properly with your feet.
Surprisingly, when you shoot or dribble a basketball, you practice your technique a lot… but when it comes to jumping higher, no one ever practices their technique. You either expect you can do it or you expect you don’t.
Jump Start Your Technique
Your technique plays a huge factor in increasing your vertical jump, and this cool exercise I’m about to show you will instantly add inches to your vertical, all within one workout.
Tip #1: Rapidly Descend into Your Jump
Usually when jumping, most athletes focus all of their attention on the ascent portion of the jump (the part where you push).
But you’ll be surprised to know that one of the most important factors of the vertical jump is actually the descent, or should I say, the speed at which you do it.
A quick descent can actually help you in your ascension and the power you put out down to the ground.
Why?
Because you’re using your muscles elastic potential.
Here’s a quick experiment for you to try:
Get down into a squat position and wait one second at the bottom, now jump.
Now do the same thing without pausing at the bottom.
Notice how higher you’ve reached at the 2nd time?
This was not a coincidence.
When you drop slowly into your jump, you’re slowly losing that elastic rubber band-like effect in your muscle because it’s already elongated and it’s getting a bit tired.
What you need to do is to descend into the bottom position as fast as possible to be able to contract the muscles quickly and spring up.
Now, in order to perfect your descent into the jump you must practice this movement specifically.
Here’s how to do so:
Start by standing with both arms raised above your head, feet about shoulder width apart.
Now throw your arms down behind your hips as fast as possible and as you do so, descend rapidly into your jump as if you’re about to explode.
Repeat this motion 20-30 times each workout to isolate and perfect this part of the jump and you will rapidly see gains in your vertical.
I learned this technique from an eBook put together by Thincpro, creators of the famous Vert Shock program. You can download the free pdf here for more instant inches hacks like this.
Tip #2: Speed up Your Penultimate Step
Get to your last 2 steps extremely fast without getting your chest dropping more than 45 degrees forward when planting your feet.
The way this exercise works is this:
You start leaning a bit forward and then you kind of “snap in” your last 2 steps as quickly as possible.
There are 2 ways to for you to know if you’re doing this exercise right:
- You go very fast and if you listen to your last 2 steps it almost sounds like one step because you’re going really quickly.
- Control your body and don’t let your torso fall too much forward.
Why Falling Too Much Forward Is Bad?
When you fall too much forward, your core and upper body are not staying tall and you’re actually losing control. Whenever that happens, it’s a sure sign that you will jump forward and not up.
So if you can control that tendency without killing your momentum, you’ll be able to focus more of your motion up rather than forward.
One of the most important factors that determine your vertical jump is speed, and when you’re coming at max speed you’re actually in less control of your body. But you still need to dictate the direction of movement and jump straight up. A good way to do that is to start practicing jumping against a wall.
Jumping against a wall is a simple exercise you can add to your warm up 2-4 times a week. It will improve your 2 feet, 1 foot, and standing vertical get way more intense and more effective when you utilize this exercise.
Just make sure you’re doing it safely and that you’re not actually trying to crash into the wall like Juggernaut.
Go through each step 3-4 times.
You don’t have to do this very often and you definitely don’t need to do this on every workout, just do it regularly and make this a part of your warm up every few days. With this exercise you will start seeing results very quickly and it will improve your vertical leap form.
This is my small tip for today..
If you liked this post and want more 2 foot/1 foot jump techniques for your vertical jump training, then I highly recommend that you checkout my post about the best programs which utilize these methods.
Lastly, I just want to mention quickly that I’m working on a new concept that’s coming up lately. This concept is something that I haven’t scientifically experimented with, but I’m planning on doing so in the near future, and at that point we’ll have an indisputable evidence of the benefits of it.
And while we’re on the subject, you might as well read the review I did for The Jump Manual, Jacob Hiller’s complete vertical leap program which aims to increase your vertical leap by 12 inches.
Here’s some more info on the jump manual program.
Let me know what you guys think on this post in the comments section below.
Extra Resources
Here are some more helpful 2-feet jumping techniques that you’ll want to learn:
1) Understanding how an arm swing enhances performance in the vertical jump – PubMed – NCBI – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15519601
2) TD1 Minute on Stack.com – an excellent 2 feet vertical jump test technique demonstrated by Kurt Hester from the dominant one – http://www.stack.com/a/vertical-jump-technique
3) Vert Shock – An excellent plyometrics vertical leap program with an expanded section on 2-feet takeoff. Very affordable as well and you can get it for dirt cheap when using this Vert Shock coupon.
4) Vertical Jump Techniques – Topend Sports. Measurement methods and equipment variations. A description of the Countermovement Technique and how to use the arms properly for more inches – http://www.topendsports.com/testing/vertical-jump-technique.htm
Last Updated on by Matthew Godley
