All You Need to Know About Vertical Jumping - Plyometrics Jump

Vertical jumping is a commonly used term among members of athletic circles. The measurement of one's vertical jump-also known as "my vert"-is mainly used to assess athletic performance and is something that a lot of athletes talk big about among fellow sportspersons.

By definition, vertical jump is the ability to lift one's body up in the vertical plane exclusively with the use of one's own muscle strength. In simpler terms, it is a gauge of how high a person can launch himself off the ground from an idle position.

The easiest way to measure a person's vertical jump is to position him against a flat wall, while making sure that he is standing on a flat surface (e.g. concrete, gym floor). Then, get him to reach up and mark the highest point he can possibly reach with both feet flat on the floor.

After that, instruct the person to take a few jumps from a standing position. While doing so, he should mark off the highest point he can touch. The distance between the two marks is the person's standing vertical jump. The method, although considered to be the easiest, may not be that accurate.

Other methods of gauging vertical jumps have been designed to provide more precise measurements. For instance, a pressure pad may be utilized to calculate the time it takes for a person to accomplish a jump. With the use of kinematics equation, the computer can then compute his vertical jump while taking into account the amount of time he was air-bound. However, an athlete can cheat his way to getting a false measurement. By pulling his knees up, he can extend his time up in the air.

Another vertical jump measurement method involves an infrared laser that is positioned at ground level. As soon as the athlete leaps off the ground and shatters the laser plane with his hand, the height of the vertical jump is measured.