As a high school club volleyball coach, I cannot tell you how often I am asked: “Hey, Coach, what can I do to get better for next season? How can I learn to jump higher and be more explosive at the net?

The very first thing that comes out of my mouth is always: vertical training. Increasing your vertical consists of building up your leg and core muscles and perfecting your arm swing and timing.

The following five workout movements, if done consistently, are guaranteed to increase the height of your jump in only a matter of months.

Squats are one of the most dynamic, beneficial, and universal workouts an athlete can have in their routine. Targeting the glute and quadricep muscles and squats can also improve your hip mobility and strengthen your calf, hamstring, and oblique muscles.

For starters, squat workouts help to improve your “explosive strength”. This is basically the rate of force your body can leave the ground. The muscles that squats target are integral to that speed. To further this rate of growth, try lifting the weight faster on the way up but slower as you lower back down. And always continue to increase the weight as you begin to feel it getting easier.

Another great squat fact is that doing them correctly and regularly helps drastically reduce the risk of knee and ankle injuries while also increasing your bone density, specifically in the spine and lower back!

Box jumps are a great way to increase your vertical jump. When completed utilizing a volleyball arm swing, they can amplify your explosiveness off the ground and allow you to reach higher.

Begin jumping from the ground to the first step on a staircase. Lower your body, bending your knees, so your quads are parallel with the ground, arms stretched out behind you, elbows locked.

Next, swing your arms up high, launching your feet off the ground, landing on both feet at the same time on the step. Be sure to try and land on the stair with your entire foot on the step. Step down and repeat three sets of 15.

As your vertical increases, move away from the stairs and onto a 16” box, then to a 21” and higher and higher as your strength increases.

Varying your jump types, direction, and movements are a great way to increase your vertical. Always keeping your body guessing and never becoming complacent will help you to become stronger, faster, and more powerful.

Try alternating from squat jumps to broad jumps. Be sure to incorporate your arm swing to get as high and go as far as you can with these. Do three sets of 10 jump pairs (squat jump, then broad jump).

After a short rest, try adding in a 180-degree jump to the sets, and then if you dare to take it to the next level: tuck jumps!

Balance is a massive aspect of vertical training. Training your legs individually is a great way to ensure each leg’s muscle structure is targeted efficiently.

Variations of this exercise that will benefit volleyball athletes are: raised single-leg lunges, where your front leg steps to a low platform. Once your foot is flat on the platform, ground your heel in and shove back explosively. Reset and repeat. You can also add a couple of low-weight dumbbells in each hand as you complete your lunge sets.

Almost all the jump training exercises can be done at home, outside, at the track or wherever you find space to do so. However, there is one gym machine that has been directly linked to an increase in verticals, and that is the leg press.

Because this machine places your body in a controlled position, you can add more weight than you would originally be able to squat, on rack or freely.

Be sure to press down through your heels and not your toes for the full effect of the movement.

When completing all these exercises, be sure that when bent, your knees are never crossing over your toes; this will protect your knee tendons from strain.

Make sure you rest between sets and hydrate. And most importantly, challenge yourself! Add on an extra set, utilize resistance bands, dumbbells, and a higher platform. Push yourself (safely), and you will always be rewarded in the end!

As a high school club volleyball coach, I cannot tell you how often I am asked: “Hey, Coach, what can I do to get better for next season? How can I learn to jump higher and be more explosive at the net?

The very first thing that comes out of my mouth is always: vertical training. Increasing your vertical consists of building up your leg and core muscles and perfecting your arm swing and timing.

The following five workout movements, if done consistently, are guaranteed to increase the height of your jump in only a matter of months.

Squats are one of the most dynamic, beneficial, and universal workouts an athlete can have in their routine. Targeting the glute and quadricep muscles and squats can also improve your hip mobility and strengthen your calf, hamstring, and oblique muscles.

For starters, squat workouts help to improve your “explosive strength”. This is basically the rate of force your body can leave the ground. The muscles that squats target are integral to that speed. To further this rate of growth, try lifting the weight faster on the way up but slower as you lower back down. And always continue to increase the weight as you begin to feel it getting easier.

Another great squat fact is that doing them correctly and regularly helps drastically reduce the risk of knee and ankle injuries while also increasing your bone density, specifically in the spine and lower back!

Box jumps are a great way to increase your vertical jump. When completed utilizing a volleyball arm swing, they can amplify your explosiveness off the ground and allow you to reach higher.

Begin jumping from the ground to the first step on a staircase. Lower your body, bending your knees, so your quads are parallel with the ground, arms stretched out behind you, elbows locked.

Next, swing your arms up high, launching your feet off the ground, landing on both feet at the same time on the step. Be sure to try and land on the stair with your entire foot on the step. Step down and repeat three sets of 15.

As your vertical increases, move away from the stairs and onto a 16” box, then to a 21” and higher and higher as your strength increases.

Varying your jump types, direction, and movements are a great way to increase your vertical. Always keeping your body guessing and never becoming complacent will help you to become stronger, faster, and more powerful.

Try alternating from squat jumps to broad jumps. Be sure to incorporate your arm swing to get as high and go as far as you can with these. Do three sets of 10 jump pairs (squat jump, then broad jump).

After a short rest, try adding in a 180-degree jump to the sets, and then if you dare to take it to the next level: tuck jumps!

Balance is a massive aspect of vertical training. Training your legs individually is a great way to ensure each leg’s muscle structure is targeted efficiently.

Variations of this exercise that will benefit volleyball athletes are: raised single-leg lunges, where your front leg steps to a low platform. Once your foot is flat on the platform, ground your heel in and shove back explosively. Reset and repeat. You can also add a couple of low-weight dumbbells in each hand as you complete your lunge sets.

Almost all the jump training exercises can be done at home, outside, at the track or wherever you find space to do so. However, there is one gym machine that has been directly linked to an increase in verticals, and that is the leg press.

Because this machine places your body in a controlled position, you can add more weight than you would originally be able to squat, on rack or freely.

Be sure to press down through your heels and not your toes for the full effect of the movement.

When completing all these exercises, be sure that when bent, your knees are never crossing over your toes; this will protect your knee tendons from strain.

Make sure you rest between sets and hydrate. And most importantly, challenge yourself! Add on an extra set, utilize resistance bands, dumbbells, and a higher platform. Push yourself (safely), and you will always be rewarded in the end!