Vertical Jump Heights Measurement : Here Are 3 Common Methods Used in Measuring Your Vertical leap

Do you really want to double your vertical jump like the others? The you should be able to measure it in the first place! There is no doubt about the fact that an excellent vertical jump is a great source of bride and greatness in the world of sports today. Especially basketball and volleyball where the notion has became a real obsession among team mates and their fans, having a good jump can really give you tremendous advantages over your opponents. In fact, some coaches now require players to have at least an average jump height, before having a chance to be accepted in the team. Because of this fact, there has never been the necessity to measure vertical jump with exact certainty. There is a very stiff competition in this area which only makes measuring more difficult.

However, there some three different methods that are commonly used to measure vertical jumps which I explain bellow.

1 -An easy method of measuring an athlete's vertical jump is to make the athlete jump and reach up against a flat wall with a flat surface directly under his feet (you can use a gym floor, concert or any other flat surface), then you spot off the highest up he can reach flat-footed. This is usually called the standing reach. Now, instruct the athlete to take a number of jumps from a standstill, marking of the highest point which he can reach. Next and last thing for this method is to measure the distance between the two. The distance is the athlete's vertical jump.

2 -The above method is not so efficient, and it can lead to different result at different times. There is a second method that is more scientific in nature since it uses a mathematical equation applied from a kinematics equation (h = g*t^2/8) to help calculate the athlete's vertical jump. With this method, a pressure pad can be used to measure or estimate the time an athletes takes to complete his jump, the using our kinematics equation above, a computer will calculate the athletes vertical jump based on the time in the air. However, the main drawback of the method is that an athlete can cheat by bending his knees so as to extend his hang time (the time he is in the air).

3 -Another efficient method used nowadays to measure vertical jump is the infrared laser method. This method is quite simple and quite practical and makes it difficult for the athlete to cheat. An infrared laser is placed at ground level then the height at which the athlete jumps and breaks the plane of the laser with his hands, is measured.

It is true that vertical jumps have become the pride and greatness in sports and measuring those jump has become so vital. Though they exist quite a number of way to measure vertical leaps, the above 3 methods are more or less the best ways so far, and are somehow void of errors and mistakes. Now you can use them to see how long it may take your to double your vertical leap! Good Luck.

Watson Nji F, specialized in: Vertical Jump Workouts is also a track and field sports consultant. Visit his website at: Vertical Jump Manual and find out what he recommends for vertical jump training. More on Vertical Leap
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