Wasting Reps on Jumps? Train Power the Way Your Body Actually Uses It

Vertical Jump Training Starts With Force Absorption

Before you can jump higher, you have to land better.

Every jump begins with a loading phase where your body absorbs force. If that force is poorly controlled, energy leaks out through unstable joints, rushed landings, or weak positions. When that happens, there is less force available for takeoff.

Think of your body like a spring.
A controlled landing stores energy.
A sloppy landing wastes it.

How to Train Force Absorption

This is where eccentric training for athletes becomes essential.

Eccentric strength focuses on the lowering phase of a movement and teaches your muscles and tendons how to tolerate and control load.

Effective options include:

• —Slow tempo squats or split squats with a 5 to 8 second descent
• —Single leg RDLs to challenge control with less overall weight
• —Controlled jump landings where the goal is quiet, balanced contact

This style of training improves tendon stiffness, landing mechanics, and deceleration control. All three directly support better jump performance.

Absorb force well and you give your body something to work with.

Explosive Strength Training Is About Speed, Not Just Strength

Many athletes are strong but struggle to translate that strength into vertical height. That gap usually comes down to rate of force development, or how quickly you can apply force.

This is where power training for athletes needs to be intentional.

Loaded Jumps for Explosive Power Development

Lightly loaded jumps are one of the most effective tools for improving vertical jump output when used correctly.

Key guidelines:

• — Use light resistance that allows fast, aggressive movement
• — Focus on maximal intent on every rep
• — Keep volume low so speed and quality stay high

The goal is not fatigue. The goal is teaching your nervous system to turn strength into speed.

This type of explosive strength training helps athletes push harder, faster, and more efficiently off the ground. That efficiency is what shows up as extra inches on a jump.

Jump Performance Training Means Practicing the Skill

Jumping is not just a physical quality. It is a skill.

Athletes who want to know how to jump higher need to practice jumping the way their sport demands it. Lifting alone does not cover timing, coordination, or approach mechanics.

Sport-Specific Jump Training Matters

Different sports require different jump strategies:

• — Volleyball athletes benefit from approach jumps and block timing
• — Basketball athletes need one foot and two foot takeoffs from cuts or dribbles
• — Field sport athletes rely on reactive jumps under fatigue

Effective jump performance training includes:

• — Rehearsing arm swing mechanics
• — Refining footwork and approach patterns
• — Training rhythm and coordination under control

Jumping improves when it is trained with intention, not when it is treated as an afterthough