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5 Things You Need to Know About Vertical Leap Drills

1. Might as well Jump Rope
The most effective drill to increase your vertical leap is jumping rope. It may feel a bit silly jumping rope like you were in the third grade again, but you need to put your ego aside if you want to improve your vertical leap. To increase the results of this drill, you may want to purchase a weighted jump rope. This drill not only increases the vertical leap at quicker pace, but it makes the upper body stronger, as well.

2. Fast-Twitch Muscles
Whatever drill you choose to use to increase your vertical leap, it must concentrate on the fast-twitch muscles. To increase the movement of these muscles, the drill must possess quick and repetitive movement that concentrates on the lower body. Also, you do not want to perform any vertical leap drills on consecutive days. This can actually damage or retard the growth of these fast-twitch muscles. Stretching is also an important precursor to any vertical leap drill. If you do not stretch the muscles and get the proper blood flow going through them, you are risking muscle pulls or strain.

3. Traditional Vertical Leap Drills
More traditional vertical leap drills are the calf raises and deep knee bends. For calf raises, simply rise up on the balls of your feet and hold the position for two or three seconds, then lower the feet back to the floor. Repeat the raises 25 times, followed by a rest period of five minutes. Perform this drill four to five times. To perform deep knee bends, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and bend your knees as much as you can while maintaining proper balance. Then, follow the same instructions listed above for the deep knee bends.

4. Training Aides
To speed up the effectiveness of a vertical leap drill, you can add weight to the body during these drills. There are weight jackets and shorts that look like a cutoff scuba suit, but to which you can add weight. Another excellent training aide for the vertical leap drills is the strength shoe. These shoes have an extra structure on the front part of the sole. The structure forces you stay on your toes during any vertical leap drill, which will increase vertical improvement.

5. Bleachers
A simple, but difficult drill to increase your vertical leap is to run bleachers. You first need to have access to a local stadium or gym that has plenty of stairs. Then, you simply run up and down those stairs for a certain period of time or a number repetitions. You can change the drill up a bit by using a two-footed jump to go up the steps and then run down.