Vertical Jump 101
Most athletes, especially those engaged in active sports, are always looking for ways to increase the height of their vertical jump. But before you can even hope to improve your vertical leap, it helps to learn more about what it is so you can develop the best ways of increasing the height of your jump. Vertical jump is basically the ability to raise your center of gravity higher than the floor and in the vertical plane, using your own muscles alone. Simply put, it is a measure of how high you can jump or elevate off the ground from a standing position.
Coaches and fitness experts typically measure vertical jump as part of the parameters that influence the athletic performance of a certain individual. It is normal for athletes to give much attention to their vertical leap because the height of their vertical can significantly determine their success in winning over the competition.
Some athletes even brag about their vertical among themselves. Vertical leap is seen as a very important ability to develop in sports like basketball, football, track and field, and volleyball. However, it is common for many sports groups to measure vertical jumping ability as part of physical examinations.
Vertical jumping ability can be measured by asking an athlete to reach up against a flat wall with his feet flat on the floor. The spotter should then mark off the highest point that the athlete can reach while his feet are flat on the floor – this will be his standing reach. The athlete should then make several jumps from a standstill and the spotter should mark off the highest point he can reach while jumping. The distance between the standing reach and highest point reached while jumping is the athlete’s standing vertical leap. This is by far the simplest way of measuring an athlete’s vertical jumping ability. Vertical jump testing devices are also available and are already used in many colleges, universities, and professional sports organizations.
Vertical leap is a widely used metric in testing a person’s athleticism or sports performance. Athletes with significantly higher vertical leaps tend to excel in active sports like volleyball, football, and basketball. A vertical leap of forty inches or more is generally considered outstanding. Some athletes even claim recorded vertical leap heights of more than 50 inches – although these cases tend to be extremely rare. Several ways of improving vertical jumping ability have been developed, and resources are readily available through the internet and in many sports magazines, journals, and books.
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