Some stretches that help you Jump Higher should be done at the end of a workout, when the body is essentially warm, loose and ready to go. The convention is that those will be the static stretches.
However, there are also a series of stretches for jumping that should be done at the beginning of the workout. These are known as dynamic stretches, normally performed to improve the rotation and extension of the parts of the body that shoulder most of the burden during the jump motion.
All of these stretches are suitable for both Basketball and Volleyball players.
Gimmicks like Shoes To Jump Higher can definitely help you increase your vertical jump but it is important to have a more holistic approach to Jump training; and stretching thoroughly probably carries greater weight for those wishing to increase their verticals.
5 Stretches That Will Help Increase Your Vertical
You need to stretch your achilles tendon because it is one of the tissues that your body places the most demands on during the completion of a vertical jump. The achilles tendon connects the calf muscle to the heel bone.
The existence of the achilles tendon, therefore is probably the one thing that allows you to walk, run and in fact jump. During jump training, the tendon can tear or worse case scenario rupture.
You don’t want either of those things to happen but it is a vulnerable part of your body and you must do all you can to prepare it for what you plan to put it through.
While there are variations to how you can conduct this stretching, the most conventional perhaps is when you lean your body weight against a pole, training partner or a wall. While leaning forward, you will then place one of your legs behind you, and plant the other leg slightly in front of you.
While the front leg should be flexed a little at the knee, the back leg should be straightened, to the point where you will feel some tension in the achilles area. Remember that you are just stretching it and not trying to rip it apart.
The logic behind stretching your hip flexor is not different to that of stretching your achilles tendon. Where the achilles is at the bottom of your body’s lower half, your hip flexors are at top.
They feature in a vertical jump, regardless of whether you are performing a standing jump or a running jump.
Your hips flex regardless of whether you are performing the countermovement jump or a squat jump. Every time that you prepare to jump, you lower the weight of your body and it is your hip flexors that are expected to shoulder a considerable amount of that burden.
It is also your hip flexors that carry a considerable amount of the burden when your body weight is being transferred in the other direction. The worst case scenario is that you tear your flexors, which means you will not even be able to do the simple things like, walking, bending and swivelling - let alone jumping.
So, as they say in the movies, take a knee! One knee should be planted on the ground just slightly behind you, while your other knee will be well out in front of you and bent to about 90 degrees.
When you are adequately balanced, you should then put your arm into the air and stretch your torso over to the side. You should feel that tension towards the top of your leg, at the point where it effectively joins up to the waist.
This is also a routine that has been designed to work on your hip flexors, but with a slightly different desired outcome. Those who have performed some form of yoga will already be familiar with this routine, which is a little more complicated but incredibly rewarding once you have managed to wrap your head around it.
As a point of departure, you should place your one shin on the ground and slightly in front of you. Your second leg will trail behind you and should be fully outstretched behind you. That leg will also have the knee facing down and pressed against the ground.
You should then bend your entire torso forward, until your forehead is almost touching the ground out in front of your. You do have the license to rest on both of your forearms, whilst stretched out in front of you.
As with all stretching routines, you will hold that pose out in front of you and subsequently alternate legs. So, that will be double the workout for the hip flexors with some additional benefits for both of your lower limbs.
Like your achilles tendons and like your hip flexors, you place exceptional demands on your abdominal core when taking part in jump activities. Having a strong abdominal core is one of the keys to maintaining stability, particularly while you are airborne or during the flight phase of jumping.
Because of that, there is also a tremendous amount that could also go wrong during the jump motion, whether that be in training or during competitive jumping.
As it so happens, this stretching routine requires that you lie down on your tummy, with your body out at full stretch.
Make sure that your hips are flat on the ground, before you use your arms to push your torso up into the air. While your hips will lift a little at this point, it is important to keep the thighs - and the lower limbs - firmly on the ground throughout the stretch.
When your torso is lifted, there will be the temptation to abandon your form and a good way to get around that will be to keep your face looking out directly in front of you while you hold the pose. That is opposed to looking up at the ceiling or staring directly down at the ground - both of which would be equally counterproductive.
At their core, fire hydrants seek to minimise the risk of injury during jump training and while jumping in competition. However, they also help better define your glutes.
To perform this stretching routine, you need to get down on all fours.
Without abandoning your form, start to move one of the legs away from the body, to about a 45 degree angle, before bringing it back in again. This drill is outstanding for the improvement of your hip rotation and hip extension, both of which are critical elements when jumping into the air.
Conclusion
The majority of these stretches will require that you hold your body in a pose or position for a sustained period. To that end, they also facilitate some form of strength training for your vertical jump.
That would normally apply for the static stretches. The general rule is that you perform each of these stretching routines for anything in the region of two minutes at a time. That would also account for the times when you need to alternate your limbs.
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