Standing Vertical Jump

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Being able to jump high is an important skill for many sports. A few inches can mean the difference between being able to dunk a basketball or blocking a spike. The standing vertical jump is a great way to not only test, but to improve your vertical and lower body power.

The Basics

The standing vertical jump is best classified as a lower body push. It's ideal for developing and testing power. It is considered a compound exercise since it uses multiple joints and muscle groups.

The Basics

The standing vertical jump is primarily used as a power exercise. Properly training for power means low reps per set and long rest periods between sets. This allows you to perform each rep at full effort.

Form

Set Up

• If using a wall to measure, stand next to it and mark as high as you can reach with chalk or tape
• Set your feet roughly shoulder width apart

Execution

• Raise your arms above your head and shift your weight to the balls of your feet
• Drive your arms down while bending at the waist and knees to preload your muscles
• Simultaneously raise your arms to just above shoulder height and extend your hips, knees, and ankles to jump up
• While in the air, mark the wall or keep knees straight (not locked) depending on if/how you're measuring
• Land safely, absorbing the impact by bending at your knees and hips

Common Mistakes

Focusing on Your Form

While most certainly not a mistake while learning proper form or tweaking things, you can jump higher if you focus on where you're trying to reach rather than your form.

Stepping/Hopping Before the Jump

The standing vertical jump is just that, a standing vertical jump. Any additional steps or hops before the jump allow you to jump higher than you normally would.

Additional Info

Measurement

There are several ways to measure the standing vertical jump. The first and most accessible way to measure is by using a wall and either a piece of chalk or tape. Stand next to the wall, reach as high as you can with flat feet, and mark that. When you jump, mark the highest you can reach on the wall and then measure the distance between the two marks.

The second way is by using a Vertec. They're quite expensive, about $1000, but are useful if you have access to one. An even more expensive option would be a force plate, which are great if you have access to one.

It's also possible to measure height using a decent camera. Take a video of your jump that clearly shows when your feet leave and then return to the ground. Count how many frames you're in the air and then divide that by the Frames Per Second that the video was taken at (the higher the better). This gives your hang time, or how long you were in the air. This can then be plugged into the equation: height(meters) = (9.81 * (1/2 * seconds)^2) / 2.

Other Common Vertical Jumps

The standing vertical jump is only one of a couple tests of vertical jumping ability that are commonly measured. Two others are the running vertical jump and the box jump. Knowing the difference can be important when comparing measurements since both the running vertical jump and the box jump allow for significantly higher results. For reference, the official record for the standing vertical jump is 47", running vertical jump is 49.5", and box jump is 65".

Programming

The standing vertical jump is a power exercise, which means it should usually be performed at near maximum speed and effort. As such, keeping the total reps low, especially if you're just starting out is important. Anywhere from 3-5 sets of 2-5 reps is recommended.

Reviews

Performance Standard Ranks

The ranks assume that you are generally healthy, with no underlying health conditions or injuries and have the mobility to perform the exercise correctly. You can determine your rank by comparing your numbers to the tables below. Your rank is also tracked automatically when using our Workout Log feature.

Power Standards

The table shows the distance/height in inches needed to reach each of the power ranks. The standards are based on competition data, world records, and the average time needed to attain each rank. To see personalized power standards for multiple exercises, check out the Power Standards page.