Vertical Jump & Speed Training Pitfalls

[Shawn Chow]

In this article I will teach you what to look for in a Vertical Jump
program & what potentially leap robbing mistakes avoid.
There are without a doubt quite a plethora of various Plyometrics
& "Jump Higher" systems available on the internet as well as
numerous sites offering "FREE" plyo guidelines, or mini-programs, Jump
bands, jumpsoles, gadgets & exercise demos. The options are
endless, so with so much to choose from, how is an athlete to know
which is the best for them. I am constantly asked what I think of "Air
Alert 2", "Jumping Advantage" or "Mad Hops" or some other trendy
gimmick to hit the scene. Of coarse, this is what I do... I research
them, pick them apart, & so on. As you can imagine being in the
field I'm in I have pretty much reviewed every E-book, manual &
devise on the market. If I hadn't, how could I honestly be offering a
good & competitive product? Having said that here's some pointer
& my advise on what to look for.
O.K. for starters it almost goes without saying that you get what you
pay for. Many sites give some basic examples of getting started on a
plyo workout or basic VJ program. They are just that..BASIC. Other
than a good idea of how a drill might be done or what the history of
plyometrics are don't expect much. Why? Most of these hop, skip, &
bounds you are seeing are really the low end of the "plyo pool" which
aren't completely in effect but well like I said before don't expect
much!
Now for all the Mass-Media Downloads & Johnny-come-latelies you've
run into. Here's 2 words for you: PROPAGANDA & HYPE! Yes these
guys are professional salesmen or pay big bucks to have professionals
write a killer ad to get you drooling over an otherwise very average
product. Now I'm not bashing or hating these sites, there trying to
make an honest buck & so am I. Most of the programs do work but
here's some flaws I have found:
1) The same 3rd grade borderline plyos I mentioned earlier that I used
to do when I was 8.(They didn't do much good then but for $40 they
will now?) Here's one I love to get asked. "How many weeks is your
program?" My answer? Until you reach your personal goal. You can't
just make a pre-designated time limit (like 12wks or 16wks or 3
months) on a program. What happens when you reach the end of it &
you still can't dunk? Do it again they say! Or instead you do what you
should have in the 1st place...By Bionic Jumping Power!
2) Exhaustive reps & sets. It's far better to do ten good,
focused, powerful reps of a drill & be done than to hammer away
mindlessly at 5 sets of 100 jump ropes or "rim touches". It's been
proven that over 75% of the benefits of any kind of workout session
come in the very first set.
3) Overtraining. This is a big problem I run into. DO NOT WORKOUT
EVERY DAY, PERIOD! If you want to rob your body of all the muscle
building testosterone it produces, then well O.K. You need to give
your nervous system about 48 hrs to recover from the shock you gave
it.
4) Squat overkill, One size fits all programs, mixing strength
training day workouts with speed/plyo days & poor plyometric
training guidelines are 3 more pitfalls to avoid. You can't just give
everyone the same workout. Everyone's body type & needs are
different. Do you know how high of a box to start doing depth jumps
from? How about when you should raise the height of your depth jump
box? I do! And guess what its different for each person reading this.
So now lets get you (the soon-to-be slam-dunker!) on the right track.
We need to take a whole body & lifestyle look at the situation. No
single exercise is going to really do anything. Get a big picture.
Start with your goal. How fast do you want to run a 40 yard dash? How
high do you want to jump? 36", 40", or more? It can be done! Now start
looking at body composition, muscle fiber type, & progress you've
maybe already made & why. You need to know whether you still need
to gain more of muscle strength base (And what's the fastest way to do
that!) because you can't produce more power than you can absorb. Or do
you need more speed/elastic strength & some better ways do that.
Lastly start catering your workouts to your personality. If you get
bored of a particular exercise quit doing it for a few weeks. Get the
boom box out & play some music that pumps you up & keeps you
going at. Add some variables that make them more exciting like depth
jumps to a dunk on a lowered rim. Make a target just slightly above
your current vertical to reach at to keep you going. Incorporate other
skills you need to develop into a session like dribbling between sets
or while doing a more simple jump exercise. and finally make your work
outs short. No more than 30 minutes. I hope this piece helps you on
your quest to greatness & higher skies!

Learn How To Jump Higher: http://jumpmanu.hot.to/