The first tip is think about the last step you take before you jump up. This will help propel your body upward, cutting through the air and achieving better heights.

If you practice regularly, this last thought should come naturally after a while. It shouldn’t take a lot out from you so much so that you forget your target and the people around you.

The second tip is to practice throws using the medicine ball. For those unfamiliar with the medicine ball, this is a heavy ball filled with sand, not air. It helps strengthens your arm and wrist muscles. It will also teach you how to swing your arms so that you can use it to your benefit when you want to jump higher. Arm movements are essential to balance in a vertical jump, so knowing how to control your arms will help you to know how to jump higher.

The third tip is being observant. Watching the experts play their is an important part of your learning process. Knowing how to jump higher is not just about following what’s written in the Jump Manual. You need to see the professionals in action. In fact, if you can tape their games, you can slow down their vertical motions and look closely at their techniques. It’s what these professional athletes do in their spare time, and what coaches and trainers do to come up with a good strategy to winning against their opponents. In their case, they are looking for weak spots to pinpoint and take advantage of. In your case, you are looking for their strong points so you can copy and imitate them.

Finally, above all is the need to watch out for your form. This refers to how you coordinate your body, arms and legs so that you can maximize your power, strength, and speed while propelling your body upward. The Jump Manual reviews caution about being too eager to increase vertical jump that you forget form. Form will straighten your body and give an extra inch or two. Keep this in mind next time you practice how to jump higher.

Listed below are some tips that will assist you to increase your vertical jump.

• It is highly recommended that you reduce the time needed for ground contact during each repetition. It effectively enhances your reactive strength and achieves the optimal results.

• Take gradual steps and start on low reps.

• Strength development is best achieved through squats. Take the necessary precaution by making sure that you can squat 1.5 times your body weight at minimum before you get involved with plyometric training. Plyometrics is very risky and it is best to meet the requirements first, esp. with strength.

• Do not impose too much training on your body because it might lead to major physical problems. Your nervous system takes up most, if not all, of the impact brought by plyometrics. This implies that the body can be subjected to more stress compared to conventional exercises. This is also the main reason why you over train. The nervous system needs one day to fully recover, so the ideal number of plyometric training per week is three.

Before anything else, you should understand that the main aspect of all vertical leap training programs is safety, which includes prevention of injury. The moment that you get yourself hurt, everything that you worked hard for will eventually disappear. Try to do your best in training, but avoid going over your body’s limit.

Never think that you will have a significant increase on the first day of training. Always make it a goal to go for consistent and viable vertical gains. Do not try to go over the backboard on a little less than two weeks of training, you will most likely get injured.

Maintain good concentration on strengthening you body’s core when you are serious to increase your vertical jump. Furthermore, your abs, hip flexors, and quads should be given importance because they have a major role in gaining an explosive vertical leap.