When we think of the skills that a star athlete needs to excel we often think of things such as how fast they can run, how good their endurance is, and how much stamina they have. One of the most important skills an athlete can have, and one that often gets overlooked is the ability for an athlete to jump. An athlete's vertical is essential in many obvious sports such as basketball, football, and even baseball. However, this skill is important for nearly every sport you can think of, even swimming.



I say that it is important for nearly every sport because the exercises required to develop a jumping ability will increase your strength in other areas. For example, in swimming an athlete probably won't need to jump high, but they will need explosiveness to get off the wall and "jump" in front of their competition. Increasing your fitness level is vital to succeeding in any sport.

Fun Ways To Jump Higher

Whether you knew it or not, as a kid your were already doing exercises to jump higher. For example, if you have ever jumped on a trampoline or jumped with a jump rope you were helping to increase your vertical. Even you you ever played a game of leap frog, you were also helping to increase your leg strength. Now I wouldn't go start rounding up people to play leap frog to increase your vertical, but you can use the same techniques and basic exercises that you used to play leap frog to help increase your jump.

Some Basic Exercises

Strength training is very important to increasing your vertical. You will need to build the right muscle and work on making your calf and thigh muscles stronger. Doing squats, leg presses and lunges will help build muscle. Always try doing sets of 3, anything less will probably be a waste of time. White men can jump, relative to other white men, if they just put the time and energy into the right exercise routine. Hit the gym and get a trainer if needed, but you must be dedicated and follow through with your exercise routine if you expect to see any results.

If you don't have access to a gym, there are still many exercises available that you can do. Jump roping for about 15-20 minutes a day will do wonders for you vertical. It is a fun way to help your jumping skill and will also help to better your balance, stamina, and is a good cardio workout as well. Running up stairs is also a very good exercise that doesn't cost a thing. You can usually find stairs at public places such as parks, libraries, etc. You can also buy jump boxes at a sports shop that are usually pretty cheap. Jumping over and on these is a great exercise to increase your explosivity.

In summary, jumping higher is important for nearly all sports, and the exercises you is important for probably every sport. Strong legs are very important for an athlete and will help you improve your game, whatever game it is.