If you want to increase your athletic performance, you should seriously consider learning to jump higher. There's no doubt that high school athletes to college intramural players to city recreational league players to professional athletes all want to jump higher to be more successful in those sports. Let's discuss the foundations and techniques needed to gain a better understanding of how to jump higher.

When people state they want to jump higher, they are basically saying they want to increase vertical leap. Professional and college athletes typically have a vertical jump in the 26-36 inch range. Although some of these athletes have a genetically bestowed ability to jump higher, most of them--and generally all of the general public--can use certain exercises to increase vertical leap. These exercises are generally split into strength training and power training.

Strength training involves hitting the gym and working on lower body exercises such as squats, lunges and leg presses. Make sure that you are putting in three to four days a week at the gym to build that strength foundation necessary to increase your jumping ability. Nobody said it would be easy to train to jump higher!

Doing explosive movements comprises the power training aspect of learning to jump higher. A very beneficial exercise is jump roping. Although it may seem extremely basic, jump roping for 20-30 minutes a day can increase your vertical leap by 2 inches or more. Another great exercise is running stadium stairs. Hit your local high school or community college football stadium and there will be stairs you can run. Another exercise is called box jumping. You can buy jumping boxes from your local sports store or you can use stairs instead. To jump higher over time, do exercises where you repeatedly jump on and off these boxes, slowly increasing the height to maintain a challenging level.

One way to effectively jump higher over time is to mix up strength training and power training. Make sure that you are in good shape and always consult a doctor before starting any exercise regimen. Also, be careful that you don't overexert yourself because these exercises tend to be very stressful on your lower legs, especially your ankles and knees. Stay within yourself and commit yourself to these basic exercises and you will find yourself well on your way to learning how to jump higher.