A vertical jump also called the vertical leap refers to the act by an athlete wherein he is able to raise his own center of gravity (CG) higher along the vertical plane by using only his own body and muscles. It provides a measure of how high an athlete or an individual can jump off the ground from a standstill position.

There are two types of jumps, there is the running Bungee Jumping In Rishikesh Price and the standstill jump. As the names suggests, these refer to the acts of jumping up from a standstill position with no other movement/steps as well as the vertical jump which is undertaken with an approach run in order to provide energy and improve the vertical jump. However, for athletes normally the standing jump is used as the official measurement. Within the circle of athletes, the ability to jump higher is not just a performance related issue but also something to showoff to the others.

For a performance related activity, the vertical jumps are a means to assess the anaerobic power and muscular strength of an athlete. The sports where jumping plays a key role and are measured for players are track and field, football, basketball and volleyball. However, many other sports measure their athletes jump capabilities during physical examinations.

Measurement of Your Jump

The most common method of measuring the vertical jump of an athlete is to make the athlete reach up while leaning against a wall which is flat while ensuring that the surface under his feet is also flat. Thereafter, the highest point that the athlete is able to reach is marked off. The athlete is then asked to take several jumps from a standstill position and the highest point that he /she is able to reach is marked.

The distance between the two marks is the standing vertical jump of the athlete. In addition, there are other and more scientific methods to measure the vertical jump. These are based on pressure pads to measure the time taken for an athlete to complete the jump and thereafter using the kinematics equation, the computer calculates the vertical jump which is based on the time in the air. Other modern methods are based on Laser Rays etc. This gives credence to the fact that haveing a high vetical is an important aspect for an athlete and needs to be given the requisite importance by him.

Ways to Increase and Maximize Jump Capabilities

Synchronised Movement of arms and legs has proven to be one of the most effective ways to increase the effectiveness of a jump. The counter movement of legs combined with a swing of the arms over and above the head and coming downwards during the legs extension phase after taking a leap helps in enhancing the jump capabilities to a great extent. This improves the jump height by 12% – 22% as compared to jumping without arm swings. Among athletes, a good jumping capabilities of 40 Inches is considered outstanding. There have been athletes who have even jumped over 50 inches.

Vertical leaps are generally used to train as well as a test for determining power output among athletes. Plyometrics is an effective training regime for power output. This includes vertical jumps of various types within their regime. Plyometrics has emerged as a major training method to improve performance compared to other resistance training protocols. Research into plyometric trained jumps have found this training to be of the highest value in terms of the muscle recruitment (As was measured by electromyography), ground reaction force produced and power output.