Chris Ullom, ATC, CSCS

Phase 1 Vertical Plyometric Progression - Box Jumps

When we are teaching people to jump and land safely, we always begin with box jumps because of their relatively low stress nature.  If you were to jump off a box onto the floor your body would have to absorb a force several times that of your bodyweight.  Conversely, jumping up onto a box minimizes the effects of gravity on your joints and soft-tissue.

As a general rule, for any type of plyometric exercise, your landing position should look very much like your starting position.  If you are in a half-squat position when you begin your jump you should be in a half-squat position when you land.  If your landing is much lower than your starting position you are either not jumping high enough and thus just picking up your feet, or you are not strong enough to reduce the force of the landing.  Make sure you choose a box height that will allow you to practice landing with perfect technique and posture.

Preparation - Stand close to the box.  Your goal is to jump straight up, not forward.  Keeping your back straight, bend at the waist and knees and push your hips back. Reach back with both arms to stretch the front of your shoulder.  At this point your chest should be over your knees with your hips back.

Initiation - Drive through your heels and forcefully (and fully) extend your hips and knees.  At the same time drive your arms forward and upward.  Make sure to focus on powerfully pulling your hips through to a straight position.

Completion - Land on the box with both feet at the same time while getting your heels down and your hips back.  Make your landing as soft and quiet as possible.  Noise is stress to joints and tendons.  Hold your landing for a moment then step off the box (jumping off the box will come at a later time).

Once you have mastered the technique of landing softly and quietly you can begin to raise the height of the box.  We will typically perform about five sets of five jumps early in a training session to minimize the effects of fatique.