Vertical Jump Training

By 4Football Staff · October 25, 2026 · 11 min read

How the vertical jump is measured, what makes it go up, and a practical way to train it with strength work, jumps and landing practice without overloading your joints.

A receiver goes up for a contested ball at the back of the end zone. A linebacker times his leap to bat down a pass. A kicker's teammate leaps to try to block a field goal. Vertical leaping ability shows up all over a football field, and it is one of the standard tests at camps and combines for that reason.

The good news is that the vertical jump responds well to training, especially for athletes who have not trained it before. The less good news is that most of the advice on the internet is a pile of drills with no order. This article explains what the test measures, what physical qualities drive a jump, and how to arrange strength, jumping and recovery into a plan that makes sense. It focuses on high school and college players and notes where young athletes need extra care.

What the vertical jump test measures

The vertical jump measures how high an athlete can raise the body from a standing position. Two common testing methods exist.

• The Vertec method. The athlete stands under a tall pole with movable plastic vanes, reaches up to set a standing reach height, then jumps and slaps the highest vane possible. The jump height is the difference between the standing reach and the highest vane touched. Combines use this method, so many players practice with it.
• Jump mats and force plates. These measure how long the athlete is in the air, or the force applied to the ground, and calculate jump height from those readings. They tend to give slightly different numbers from the Vertec because the method is different. Many strength coaches prefer them because they are consistent and quick to use.

Because the methods differ, treat comparisons across systems cautiously. As with any test, the fair comparison is against your own earlier results, measured the same way.

Most standard tests use a countermovement jump: the athlete dips quickly, then explodes upward, usually with an arm swing. Some training programs also use a squat jump, which starts from a held bottom position with no dip, and a drop jump, where the athlete steps off a box and jumps as soon as the feet touch down. These variations reveal different strengths, which we will return to.

What actually makes a jump high

A jump is a force-and-time problem. The athlete pushes against the ground, and the higher the speed of the body's center of mass at takeoff, the higher the jump. Several qualities combine:

1. Force production. Strong legs and hips can push harder against the ground. This is the foundation.
2. Rate of force development. It is not only how strong you are, but how quickly you can express that strength. A jump gives you a very short time to push.
3. Elastic energy. The dip stretches muscles and tendons, and a well-timed rebound recycles some of that energy. Stiffer, well-trained tendons help here.
4. Coordination. The ankles, knees, hips and arms must work in sequence. Even a strong athlete can jump poorly with mistimed arms or a poorly shaped dip.
5. Body weight. Extra weight must be lifted. Gaining strength while holding body weight steady tends to improve jumping; gaining body weight with no extra strength usually hurts it.

Genetics matter, including muscle fiber makeup and limb proportions, and no training plan makes everyone jump the same. But most athletes are well below their personal ceiling, and the first months of organized training usually produce the biggest gains.

Step one: build a strength base

Jumping is a movement skill, but it is also a strength expression. An athlete who cannot squat and hinge with good form will usually get more from learning those lifts than from adding box jumps. The common building blocks are:

• Squat patterns (back squat, front squat, goblet squat) for the quadriceps, glutes and trunk.
• Hip hinge patterns (deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts, hip thrusts) for the glutes and hamstrings, which drive the extension at the hip.
• Single-leg work (split squats, step-ups, lunges) for balance and for the way the legs act in real running and cutting.
• Calf and ankle strengthening (calf raises, jump rope, ankle hops) for the final push-off and for landing.

Our guide to the core lifts for football goes through how these lifts are learned and progressed, and the article on squat, bench and power clean explains why a power movement like the clean is so popular in football programs. A beginner who adds a sensible lower-body strength program usually sees jump height rise even before any jump training begins.

Step two: add jumps in a sensible order

Plyometrics are jumping and bounding exercises that use the stretch-shortening cycle, the muscle and tendon "spring" described above. They are effective, but they put repeated impacts through ankles, knees and the lower back, so the order matters. A conservative progression follows.

Landing first

Before jumping high, learn to land. A good landing is quiet, with the hips pushed back, the knees tracking in line with the toes, the chest over the feet and the weight spread through the whole foot. Practice with small jumps and "stick the landing" holds. Landing poorly, with the knees collapsing inward, is a recognized risk for knee injuries, and good landing habits protect you for life.

Low-intensity jumps

Jump rope, pogo hops, line hops and low box jumps teach the ankles to be springy and the body to move quickly. They are easy on the joints and can be done in small amounts nearly every day.

Moderate jumps

Squat jumps, countermovement jumps, standing broad jumps and hurdle hops challenge the body more. The goal is quality, which means each rep is crisp and the athlete is not tired. Fewer reps with full rest is better than a long set done sloppily.

High-intensity jumps

Depth jumps (stepping off a box and jumping upward on contact), bounding and single-leg hops place large forces on the body. These are best reserved for athletes who already have a solid strength base and good landing mechanics, and who are working with a coach. A common practical rule is to use lower box heights than you think you need; going very high can slow the rebound and add injury risk rather than benefit.

For any age, keep the jumping volume modest and the quality high. Plyometric volume is often counted in "foot contacts," each time a foot hits the ground. Beginners start with a small number of contacts per session and increase gradually, while advanced athletes handle more. Because exact recommendations differ among sources and depend on the athlete's age and training history, let a coach or strength specialist set the numbers.

Step three: power exercises

Between heavy lifting and pure jumping sits a family of exercises that load the body with moderate weight and move it fast.

• Olympic lift derivatives, such as the power clean, hang clean and clean pull, teach explosive triple extension, the simultaneous straightening of ankles, knees and hips that is also part of a jump. They require careful technical instruction.
• Loaded jumps, such as trap-bar jumps or jumps with a light barbell, add resistance while preserving the speed of the movement. The weight must stay light enough that the movement remains explosive.
• Medicine ball throws, especially overhead and forward throws, teach full-body extension and can be done by many athletes safely.
• Kettlebell swings, which train the hip hinge at speed.

These are not essential for every athlete. They are tools. A well-coached team with limited equipment can still build jumping ability with squats, hinges, basic plyometrics and landing practice.

The arm swing and technique

Arms contribute to jump height. A strong, coordinated arm swing, in which the arms drive upward as the legs extend, adds momentum to the whole system. Many athletes lose height with a poorly timed swing, either dropping the arms too late or stopping them too early. Practice jumps with and without the arms to feel the difference.

Other technique points:

• Depth of the dip. A very deep dip slows the jump; a very shallow dip leaves power unused. The best depth is one that feels fast and strong. It differs from person to person.
• Posture. Keep the chest up and the back flat, not rounded.
• Head and eyes. Looking up at the target helps most athletes, but do not let the neck extend so far that the torso bends.
• Full extension. Finish on the toes, with the body fully stretched, before relaxing for the landing.

Putting it on a calendar

The following is an example of how an off-season week might be arranged for an athlete with some training experience. It is an illustration, and a coach should adjust it.

Notice that the jumping is spread out, and that each jump session starts when the athlete is fresh. Jump work after a heavy squat day can still be done, but only a small amount and only if the athlete feels springy. If your jumps feel flat, your body is telling you that it has not recovered.

Many athletes also use the weeks near a season to reduce the volume of heavy work and keep a smaller dose of jumping to stay sharp. Coaches call this tapering, and it keeps the athlete fresh without losing the gains.

Mistakes that stall progress

1. Doing too much plyometric work too soon. Tendons and joints adapt more slowly than muscles. Soreness around the knees or shins is a signal to back off.
2. Training jumps when tired. Tired jumps are slow jumps and risky landings.
3. Skipping the strength base. Jumping drills alone eventually plateau.
4. Gaining unneeded weight. For most players, packing on body fat reduces jump height. A nutrition plan that supports training without unplanned weight gain helps, and our guide to nutrition for football players covers how athletes fuel their training.
5. Chasing a number from a social media video. Athletes film their best attempt, often with a favorable measurement method. Compare yourself to yourself.
6. Ignoring the ankle and calf. The last part of a jump is a push through the foot. Weak calves leak force.
7. Neglecting sleep. Recovery is when adaptations happen.

Testing yourself without fooling yourself

A simple log is the most useful tool in jump training, because it shows whether the plan is working. A few habits make the numbers trustworthy:

1. Test on a schedule. Every four to six weeks is enough for most athletes. Testing every few days adds fatigue and noise.
2. Standardize the setup. Use the same method, the same surface and the same shoes. Mark the wall or use the same mat each time.
3. Warm up the same way. A dynamic warm-up followed by two or three submaximal practice jumps is typical.
4. Take a few attempts and record the best, with the average too. Three to five attempts with a minute of rest between them is common. If your last jump is your best, you were still warming up; if your first is your best, you may be fatiguing.
5. Record the context. Note sleep, soreness and whether you had just lifted. A low number after a poor night's sleep says little about your training.

If the number does not move after several weeks, look at the plan before blaming effort. Common culprits are too much total training, too little protein and total food, not enough sleep, or a program that is all jumping and no strength. An athlete who is sore and sluggish may need a lighter week, not a harder one.

Position notes

Different positions use the jump in different ways, and that affects how much emphasis it deserves.

• Receivers and tight ends jump to catch the ball at its highest point, often with a defender draped on them, so they combine leaping with hand strength and body control.
• Defensive backs jump to break up passes and to intercept, and they need to jump from a backpedal or after a cut, not only from a standing position.
• Linebackers and defensive linemen jump to bat passes down at the line of scrimmage.
• Quarterbacks, running backs and offensive linemen rarely jump high in games, but the same lower-body power helps them accelerate and change direction, and many coaches see the vertical jump as a rough indicator of general explosiveness.
• Kickers and punters do not depend on leaping, though leg power and balance matter for their own craft.

For this reason, a lineman may spend more time on strength and a cornerback on reactive jumping, and neither is wrong. If you play at a school that tracks results, ask your strength coach what the team tests and why. High school coaches can also point you toward your region's programs through our high school directory.

Safety for younger athletes

Young athletes who are still growing can jump and do light plyometric work, and many fun activities such as jumping rope, hopscotch and basketball already involve it. But growth spurts temporarily change coordination and can stress the places where tendons attach to growing bones. Young athletes should favor low-intensity jumps, avoid very high boxes and maximal depth jumps and always have adult coaching. Pain in the front of the knee or at the heel during a growth spurt deserves a doctor's attention. Our article on strength training for youth athletes discusses sensible approaches.

How scouts and coaches use the number

On a roster, leaping ability helps receivers, tight ends, defensive backs and linebackers contest balls, and it can help linemen get their hands up to block passes. But the number is only a clue. Football is played with a helmet and pads, on a field full of other players, with the ball not always at the same height. Game film shows whether a player actually wins the ball in the air. If you want to see how players of different positions are described on the site, browse the players pages, and if you are considering a college program, see the college section.

The short version

• The vertical jump measures how high you can raise your body; the method (Vertec or mat) affects the number.
• Jump height comes from force, speed of force, elastic energy, coordination and body weight.
• Build a strength base first, then add landing practice, easy jumps and finally harder plyometrics.
• Keep jumping sessions short, fresh and well rested.
• Practice the arm swing and a consistent dip.
• Younger athletes should favor low-intensity jumps and good coaching.
• Compare your results with your own past numbers, measured the same way.