Increase your vertical jump

Learn How to Dunk, Not Increase Risk of Injury!

One of the most common injuries for an athlete is the tear of the ACL.  Your anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, is one of four major knee ligaments. The main job of the ACL in your knee is to prevent excessive motion of the knee joint, which is critical to the knee’s stability.  When people injure their ACL, they tend to complain of not only pain in the knee, but that it gives-out from underneath them.  Typically, an athlete will immediately notice this injury due to extreme pain, swelling and usually a loud pop at the point of injury. In sports requiring a high vertical jump or other more aggressive movements, it is important to try to prevent ACL injury. This injury tends to occur when an athlete is not in contact with another player like a tackle in football.  It actually occurs in 80of athletes during the landing of a jump or when pivoting or attempting to juke an opponent. Basically, any time you put excessive strain on your knee, you can injure the ACL. In 2008, there was a study on ACL injuries published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine. In this article, it was stated, ‘new injuries requiring surgery are becoming more common in adolescents.’  This comment was based on data from the 1990\’s.  But, more recently, Timothy Hewett, the director of research in sports medicine at Ohio State University, who was given in 2010 the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine\’s NCAA Award for work linking rehabilitation exercises to reducing the risk of ACL re-injury, was asked if he believes if the data from the 1990\’s still exist in these recent years.  His answer was that he feels the data is still accurate. (more…)

Hiller 42" Vertical

Jacob Hiller releases dunk video showing his vertical.

Jacob Hiller, basketball training coach, has been published in several magazines and has been featured on ESPN.  Hiller uses his own techniques in The Jump Manual to continually improve his vertical jump. Hiller, in his early twenties, was hitting vertical heights of 44” consistently.  With all of the coaching that he has done around the world, his training has suffered with nonstop travel and ever changing gyms and nutrition.  Since Hiller spends most of his time working with clients, his own training has been put on the backburner. Hiller recently started his vertical jump training again and is now consistently hitting over 40” with a rough max of 42”.  This time, though, he’s recording it.  Originally, Hiller just wanted to use the footage for coaching and to help Jump Manual users, but he was encouraged to release the video due to some controversy on a forum, where there were claims Hiller could not jump because there was no proof. Hiller commented, “I’ve had jumping footage for some time now but was planning to wait until I reached my old records.  I was encouraged to leak a video and the feedback has been a lot of fun.  I look forward to beating my old records and dropping more footage.  The positive feedback is encouraging and makes it kind of addictive.” The video is of Hiller almost touching a 10’ rim with the top of his head.  Hiller has plans to pass his original 44”. Hiller has already received a diverse and immense body of testimonials from his clients.  However, he has found that the release of this video has been very motivating to those who were getting frustrated or who wanted to quit before finishing the program.    

About Jacob Hiller and The Jump Manual

Jacob Hiller is a coach and personal trainer to professional athletes in the U.S. and abroad. The Jump Manual was published in 2008 as a companion training manual for workout and health methodologies for optimal vertical jump conditioning for all types of athletes. The Jump Manual has been revered as the most comprehensive, scientific approach to vertical jump training, and has been featured on ESPN and in Fadeaway Magazine. The book can be purchased at  http://freeverticaljumptraining.com/jumpmanual. Hiller also released Jumpmanual.tv for a more interactive approach to training and connecting with his audiences. Hiller received his personal training certification from the American Council on Exercise and trains athletes in various sports internationally. For more information on vertical jump training, visit http://www.freeverticaljumptraining.com.  

Weight training is done for many reasons; it can be used to lose weight, tone muscles and can even be a part of you training when learning how to jump higher.  But lots of people get discouraged when they go to the gym because it looks like everyone in the gym knows exactly what they are doing. First thing, you should get comfortable, with the idea that not everyone in the gym knows what they are doing.  The biggest mistake people make is they believe that burning muscles, sore muscles, and heavy weight is the key to success, when actually these beliefs can be hindering. In addition, when you are training to jump higher, you can easily damage your muscles if your weight training and conditioning are not done correctly. The great thing is, to solve all these common mistakes, there is one solution: form. You need to have proper form when doing any kind of training, especially vertical jump training.  Improper form can lead to the wrong kind of burning and sore muscles, and too much weight can lead to improper form.  All of these aspects tie into one another. Proper form when learning how to jump higher consists of keeping your back straight, shoulders back, feet pointed forward and your neck, and head back centered over your body.  When you have too much weight, your body automatically tries to correct for the pull of the weight and shifts everything forward, causing improper form.  And this kind of improper form will give you burning and sore muscles, but not the kind that will lead to increased muscle and vertical explosion – just the kind that causes you to ice your muscles after your workout. How do you know that you have proper form?  Well, you should start to notice results, you should be jumping higher, losing weight and you should start to feel better and stronger.  Plus, you will also be able to start adding more weight.  Now just because you don’t have a lot of weight doesn’t mean you do just a little bit you still have to go slightly beyond your comfort zone, you need to find the right balance between weight, reps and form. In terms of increasing your vertical jump, you can do this quickly just by having correct form by 2 to 6 inches in one day.  This is a huge increase in such a short amount of time but it is key to increasing your vertical jump.  Now, think of the results you can have in your weight training if you have proper form.  You will be losing weight, and jumping higher in no time at all. When you feel like your vertical jump training routine is not helping you jumping higher or your weight loss regime is actually gaining you weight, stop and ask yourself ‘is my form correct’? Even ask a friend to critique your form.  It sounds simple, but lots of people are so used to doing things without proper form that they actually can feel uncomfortable when trying to correct their form.  It just takes time and practice and, once you have your form corrected, you will notice the results.

Groin injuries, groin pulls, groin pain… sucks! It keeps you from training and performing at you highest potential. The following exercises I have found to be very effective at treating and preventing groin injuries. Include them in your groin strengthening or rehabilitation program. Injury is you worst enemy if you are trying to jump higher.  If you are training hard and smart injury is really the only thing that can stop you from making steady progress. Be vigilant in your “anti injury” rehabilitation work! Please let me know if you have other exercises you recommend for groin pain and groin strains.

Rodney Malisos, M.D., is an average gymnast who has increased his tucks to a perpetually amazing height in just one month of training with The Jump Manual.

        By Bryant Media Group, Inc. – May 02, 2011 – Jacob Hiller, basketball training coach, has been published in several magazines and has even been interviewed for ESPN. Recently, a Doctor from Liberty Medical Center tried out The Jump Manual to increase his height on his tucks. Rodney Malisos, M.D., is an average gymnast who has increased his tucks to a perpetually amazing height in just one month of training. Rodney Malisos, M.D. feels that not only does The Jump Manual truly work to increase your vertical height in any sport that you may do as an athlete, but he believes that Hiller really took the extra time to do his research and really break down The Jump Manual into a program that everyone can understand; not only how things work but why things work. “You have obviously researched your field extensively – even delving into anatomy and microbiology to explain how and why these methods work,” wrote Dr. Malisos. Dr. Malisos definitely believes that athletes at any age or athletic ability can use The Jump Manual, but still feels everyone should consult their physician before starting any program. “It is safe for anyone if they have no pre-existing health issues. If health problems (knee/back pain, etc.) are present they should be assessed by their personal physician prior to starting this or any other type of exercise.” Hiller has traveled the world witnessing success with his plyometric training methods, but now has a Doctor endorsing The Jump Manual through his own trial of the methods. Dr. Malisos stated, “I wholeheartedly endorse this product for anyone wishing to surpass the competition by increasing their vertical limits.” To read all of the Doctor’s comments about The Jump Manual, go here: http://freeverticaljumptraining.com/?p=2664, which also has a video showing Dr. Malisos’ success.

About Jacob Hiller and The Jump Manual

Jacob Hiller is a coach and personal trainer to professional athletes in the U.S. and abroad. The Jump Manual was published in 2008 as a companion training manual for workout and health methodologies for optimal vertical jump conditioning for all types of athletes. The Jump Manual has been revered as the most comprehensive, scientific approach to vertical jump training, and has been featured on ESPN and in Fadeaway Magazine. The book can be purchased at  hhttp://freeverticaljumptraining.com/jumpmanual. HIller also released Jumpmanual.tv for a more interactive approach to training and connecting with his audiences. Hiller received his personal training certification from the American Council on Exercise and trains athletes in various sports internationally. For more information on vertical jump training, visit http://www.freeverticaljumptraining.com.  

Guest post by Joe Hashey, CSCS

I often receive questions from athletes about how to recover from common sport injuries, such as ankle sprains, shin splints, and pain in the arches of the foot.   After providing them with guidelines, I make sure to include prehabilitation movements to SAVE them from injuries in the first place.   After all, most of these ailments are non-contact injuries and often preventable.

Here’s four “tricks” for a healthier lower body:

1. Calf and Foot Cryo-Bottle.
2. Know Your ABC’s.
3. Double Ball.
4. Towel Toe Curls.

Calf and Foot Cryo-Bottle. Cryotherapy (cold therapy) has been used by medical professionals to reduce inflammation and help muscles recover from injuries faster.   So what does that have to do with a healthy individual?  Well training causes micro-traumas in the soft tissues of the body and often a small degree of inflammation.

Unfortunately, cryotherapy often uses large ice tubs for lower body submersion.  The large tubs are both expensive and are rough to sit in (I had to spend many hours in them during college).

Here’s your home solution:  Freeze a water bottle and use it to roll the muscles on.   It’s a very simple procedure.  Take a regular plastic water bottle and put it upright in the freezer so you do not get bubbles on the sides.  Once frozen, lay your calf on it and roll for 5 to 10 minutes for each leg.  Repeat with your feet.

Know Your ABC’s.  You may have read that ankles and feet become weak from being placed in high top sneakers or braces all the time.  Unfortunately, it is not always practical to train in bare feet due to cleanliness issues.

Don’t worry. Here is a quick way to activate the muscles that control your ankle.  At the end of a workout, take off your sneakers, sit down, and hold your leg fully extended.  Without moving your upper leg, attempt to write the ABC’s in the air with your foot.  This will move your foot and ankle in multiple planes of motion and help strengthen the surrounding muscles.

Double Ball. The double ball is a great tool for self myofascial release (SMR, aka “poor man’s massage”) of the foot, calf and hamstring.  SMR is great for reducing delayed onset muscle soreness and/or preparing the muscle tissue for a dynamic warm-up.

Take two tennis balls and duct or athletic tape them together.  Roll them on your calf, feet and hamstring similar to the cryo-bottle.  This time, if you find any tender or tight spots, simply apply pressure until the muscle relaxes.  This should be done for 2 to 3 minutes for each muscle group before and/or after a training session.

Towel Toe Curls. Unfortunately, these “curls” won’t help your pose down muscles for the mirror every night, BUT they will go a long way to help injury prevention.

This is probably the simplest exercise on the list and it comes from my Powerful Muscle Recovery Manual.   All you have to do is take your shoe and sock off and place a towel under your foot.  Start at one end of the towel and “scrunch” it in using primarily your toes.

Curl the towel in 2 to 3 times and you should start to feel it in your foot and low calf.

As fans of jumping higher, it is CRUCIAL that you take care of your joints and soft tissue.  Strength through a complete range of motion will help increase your elasticity (ability to jump more than once) as well as help prevent injuries.

There are literally thousands of exercises out there, and many different ways to perform the exercises – sets, reps, intensity etc..  But which exercises are most applicable to jumping higher? I see many individuals, coaches, and trainers who seem to take the “shotgun approach” to vertical jump training. A shotgun approach is the idea to do as many exercises as possible in the hope that at least one of them will increase your vertical leap. This type of approach is really just an excuse for a targeted program. A program that has you changing exercises week after week after week is likely to only give minimal time to the areas that actually make the biggest difference in your vertical leap. A proper vertical jump program is aware of what exercises target the prime movers for a specific movement or  athletic performance and can laser in on the proper areas and performance qualities. Olympic lifters, long jumpers, high jumpers, weight lifters, and many other sports excel because they have mastered the very specific movements and increased the quality of the exact prime movers that are involved. This may seem basic or even boring but targeting your training to your specific needs is the best way to get the fastest possible results. As athletes we often crave a change in workout in hope that it will provide more results, but too often it just distracts from the exercises that will grant us the best and fastest gains. If you are after “general fitness” a shotgun approach is fine.  BUT if you have specific training goals like your vertical leap you must at least include the exercises that are most specific to your goal (jumping higher). This is also not to say that other movements can be a compliment to your program, but remember your goal is specific and your exercises should also be.  When training economy (limited time and energy resources) you can add those exercises also. So the take home message here, is master the exercises most pertinent to your progress, and stay the course.  In business I have heard it called “Master the Mundane.” The Jump Manual will provide you with the proper exercises, reps, sets, and methods for jumping higher.  Stay the course, use the tracking sheets to monitor your progress, and use our coaching sessions to customize your workout for specific sports. I know people are going to ask me… “How do I do the shotgun approach?”… so for the record the shotgun approach is not good, and represents doing many exercises in the hope that one will help.

Jacob Hiller, creator of The Jump Manual, trained professional basketball players and consulted professional coaches in Rwanda in February and March of 2011.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Apr 10, 2011 – Rwanda is an English- and French-speaking nation in Central/Eastern Africa. The professional team Jacob worked with was the Rwanda APR Lions. He provided coaching for their team in French.

Coach Cliff Owuor from Kenya, former national Team Player for Kenya, has coached the Ulinzi National and Regional Championship teams and the African Military Championship team. His current team, APR Lions,  ranked 3rd in Africa in 2009.  Coach Cliff Owuor is currently the coach of the APR Lions

He says of Hiller:

“I invited Coach Hiller to come and work with our team (APR Lions). He assessed and created an individualized program for athletes. We are very impressed with Jacob’s knowledge of training and specifically how to implement it properly given our specific circumstances. The techniques and assessments Coach Hiller uses are cutting edge and we’re grateful to have had access to him, plus he trained our players in French, which made everything easier. I’d recommend his services to anyone looking to get an athletic edge and avoid injuries.”

Jacob Hiller gives training sessions globally. He has worked with professional athletes in India, Uganda, the US, and other countries around the world to help athletes reach their training potential. He is available to train teams of all types of sports with vertical jump as his main focus, and he can be contacted for more information at Free Vertical Jump Training.

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About Jacob Hiller and The Jump Manual

The Jump Manual is a best selling comprehensive guide to improving your vertical jump and contains diet, exercise, and workout methods that have proven to assist all athletes in vertical jump explosion.

Increasing your vertical jump by harnessing the power of the posterior and anterior chain.

Increasing your vert is a hot topic and if you’ve been on the forums you’ve heard:

Quads have nothing to do with jumping power…. It’s all about the glutes. OR Quads are the most important jumping muscle, and glutes are for sprinting.

The truth is… both quads and glutes are prime contributors to increasing your vertical and upward propulsion. Some jumpers vertical jump is very quad based.  Some jumpers are very glute dominant. Some are well balanced. ALL jumpers will benefit from greater quad AND glute AND hamstring strength. There’s no reason we should be talking about which one to train… they are NOT mutually exclusive and training economy WILL allow you to train both.

Increase your vertical jump with a comprehensive approach…

Vertical jump studies about glute and quad dominance.

It’s true there have been studies… BUT in my opinion the studies about vertical jump and correlation with quad and glute dominance don’t take into account the individual variance in muscle activation. Watch any video and see jumpers with differing form (as I explain in the video) and you’ll see that some jumpers are VERY quad dominant and others are more glute dominant… others still are balanced. Try and jump with straight legs… only using your glutes and hams… not jumping very high are you? You must bend your knees… BAM – at that moment quads become involved… and the more powerful they are the greater the will drive explosiveness, improve stability, prevent injury, and compliment the power of your hip drive. Now.. try and jump with only your quads… you’ll find that your bodyweight weighs heavily on your quads.  The hip drive helps create a significant amount of upward inertia and momentum. Knee and hip extensions do happen simultaneously but I believe it can help understanding to see the hips as driving the power of the initial movement, then the quads simultaneously start generating upward propulsion and finish off the movement with the ankles also extending at the end.

Vertical jumping is like (but not really… lol) – Bump, set, spike :)

That’s an oversimplification and there is simultaneous action of all the joints… BUT I believe the emphasis of the movements are 1. Glutes – Initiated by the approach. 2. Quads - Now taking transferring the horizontal momentum and driving upward. 3. Calves - Driving upward. The entire “triple extension” (all three joints) will snap for the final upward thrust of the vertical jump. We have found great success in building explosive power in ALL the prime movers of the vertical jumps and targeting all facets of increasing vertical jump ability, and we recommend that you do the same. I’d love to hear your thoughts, criticisms, and additions to this. If your interested in more please check out my vertical jump training system:

Vertical jump training system: The Jump Manual

Increasing hang time is another coveted attribute of aspiring vertical jumpers.  Can you really increase the amount of time you hang in the air?  The answer is yes, but it still might disappoint you.

Hang time is scientifically predetermined by the height you are able to jump in the air (unless you bring your knees up and land on bended knees).  If you want more hang time, you need to jump higher!

Don’t be fooled… when someone appears to float longer in the air it’s only because they travel more distance with the same total time in the air.  Jordans hang time in his free throw line dunk is a great example.  He appears to float because he covers so much ground in his jump, plus the fact that he is jumping very high n the air.

Agree or disagree?