How To Improve Standing Vertical Jump

Let's get quite right into it...


The main component to increasing a standing vertical jump is strength.
This is why you will find many dunkers who have skinny legs, can jump out of the gym on an approach, but ask them to stand under the rim and jump and you will be surprised at what you see.
During an approach jump velocity can be gathered, and if the jumper is coordinates that forward momentum can be transferred to upward momentum.
A seasoned approach jumper will have also strengthened their tendons and the plyometric response of their body. Basically their body and tendons work together to use the energy from the approach and send it skyward. You can see this effect for your self by jumping off a small height and seeing how much higher you jump when you have jumped off a box. If possible keep raising the height of the box until the jump no longer increases. This is the height at which you want to be practicing your box jumps.
Everyone should be jumping higher from an approach jump than with a standing vertical jump. If it is not the case, than there is something counter productive with your approach.


By increasing your strength you will be able to improve your standing vertical jump, however the gains will also transfer over to your approach vertical jump.
Training plyometrics (like box jumps) with low ground contact time, and a focus on intensity is going to yield a greatest gain on your approach jump, however it will also show small improvements on your standing jump. Learning to perform the counter movement quickly, will alloy you to take best advantage of the plyometric ability you already have.
Increased flexibility is going to allow you to have greater mobility for both jumping styles, but will yield greater gains in the approach vertical jump which requires more limb movement and mobility. Hip mobility is extremely important.
Improving jumping form is a very good way to increase your vertical, especially your approach vertical. Proper from will help you utilize forward momentum, use glutes and quads correctly to explode, maximize the plyometric effect, properly use your lower back and erectors to create upward momentum, and use your arms to increase your vertical. Once again form will have the greatest impact on your approach vertical, although small gains can be realized in your standing vertical.

Jacob Hiller - Jump Manual