Vertical Technique - How to Take Your Game to the Next Level

In basketball, volleyball, or any sport that is played up as well as over, a player doesn't just need to work on his or her floor techniques, but also the vertical techniques. Vertical technique can be the difference that makes or breaks a player's game.


The foundation of vertical technique is the jump. You can't really have a good vertical technique, if you aren't moving enough vertically. The more air time you have, the more the vertical comes into play. So if you want to perfect your vertical technique, the first thing to do is, perfect your jump.


Perfecting the jump requires both speed and strength. Speed in this case isn't how fast you can sprint, but about how fast your muscles can move. Fast muscle releases all its strength in a split second, Mecate reins and that is what is needed for a good jump. In a jump, the muscles have approximately 0.2 seconds to release all the strength that they are going to, any strength released after that is wasted.


A lot of strength is required for a high jump. Even a tiny hop requires enough strength to lift the body's own weight. Jumping higher requires even more strength. Unfortunately, traditional strength training builds slow twitch muscle. That means more than traditional strength training is needed.


Luckily, there are training programs designed specifically for athletes who need to develop a good vertical technique. Like any athletic training, there are good programs and bad programs. Especially for athletes who haven't worked on serious vertical training previously, it is better to pick an existing, proven program than trying to design a new one.


When picking a training program for developing a good vertical technique, look for the same things you would look for in any athletic program: exercises that focus on the targeted muscles, a good diet, safety precautions, downtime and goal setting.


Not every program is build equally, and neither is every athlete. Make sure you look for a program that can work for you. You should know your capabilities better than anyone; and a training program should match both your current abilities and your goals. If it doesn't, it may be something you can come back to another time, but it won't work for you now.

If you are ready to find a training program, and take the next step in your game; check out the Vertical Project, it is the perfect all around guide to developing a great Vertical Technique http://www.vertical-leap.info