Getting A Jump On Landing Safely
At a certain age, your body reaches its maximum height, but for tunately, especially for athletes, there are ways to increase your vertical jump.
“You can do basic exercises, such as squats, deadlifts and traditional strength training exercises to improve your vertical jump,” says certified athletic trainer Daniel Mar Chong of MAR Training. “But you should not just focus on exercises that increase muscular power but also work on stability in the ankles and knees.
mw-otm-040815-mar-nw2
Kainoa Mitchell demonstrates lateral jumps. Starting with both feet on the ground and shoulder-width apart, and knees bent at about a quarter-squat position, jump over the hurdle by extending and driving through the hips. ‘Try to be as efficient as possible,' says Mar Chong. ‘You're trying to use your body to lever into the ground. A lot of kids who are untrained, their knees will knock in when they take off so they're losing some of the force they are generating. You want a nice straight lever into the ground."
