As part of Player Development's continuing commitment to seeking racial justice, we want to highlight the work of @Athletes4BLM, which is committed to sharing stories of athletes promoting #BlackLivesMatter, and what racial justice means for them. So if you only have a couple minutes on your lunch break, or de-compressing from a long day, I encourage you to spend the time listening to their stories instead of mine.
As a quick update, here is how my vertical jump looks after four weeks of Matt Pieczarka's Flight Mode program.
Some differences from my first jump to this one:
Much quicker approach, with that speed translating to a higher jump
I'm more firm when I plant, resulting in more powerful transference of force from leg to ground, popping me up higher
Another valuable piece that I've overlooked in trying to jump higher was mobility. As I've mentioned before, it's so easy to just focus on trying to get stronger, but an overemphasis on squats and deadlifts has actually hindered my vertical leap in the past.
The vertical jump utilizes an explosive chain of movements called the triple extension, during which ankles, knees, and hips all extend to pop us up into the air. As we talked about previously, any lack of stability in this chain leaks energy. For example, if someone's knees are buckling inward as they try to take off, energy goes into stabilizing that joint instead of pushing into the ground.
Similarly, any tightness or hindered movement within these joints will limit how high we can get. For example, if I'm unable to quickly get into the explosive crouch where my ankles, knees, and hips are compressed like a spring, then my momentum and velocity are compromised. Instead of exploding down into the ground and rebounding up, the movement slows down, and I lose force production.
TJ Allan highlights how athletes commonly have tight hips, and this was something I definitely overlooked early on in my training. Sitting for long periods of time (as we do in class, or at work), as well as recurring ankle or knee injuries from playing, can all lead to limited mobility.
Engaging in mobility work extends beyond just stretching, however. When we lift, especially, or get injured, muscle tissue can rebuild in a random fashion that, over time, can create roadblocks that limit mobility. Foam rolling is one way I've begun to improve mobility, especially in the lower body that I'm training heavily in this vertical jump program.
In addition to joint flexibility and muscle mobility, mobility work includes training our muscles to work most efficiently. Intentionally training the specific jump angle on squats and other plyometric movements (instead of always doing deep back squats or other types of squats) trains my central nervous system to fire in a particular way. Again, the quicker my body can respond, the quicker and higher I get off the ground.
Finally, this is where technique also comes in. By honing my approach, getting feedback on form, and practicing/exercising how I want to jump, this creates a habit so that my muscles know exactly how to fire when I want to jump high. This relates back to the idea of efficiency; I am practicing focusing all my energy on producing force into the ground instead of timing my steps, measuring distance, or in extraneous movement.
Execution
This video teaches a few moves that improve our mobility and support efficient movement. I got these moves from @grahamtuttle.cscs and @thejumpmasterflex, who have both done interviews with Player Development. Check out their interviews here.
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