Fun Jumping Drills To Help You Jump Higher
A jumping drill involves an athlete jumping and then swiftly transitioning into different other movements to achieve various goals of fitness. While performing a jumping drill the athlete changes his body motion from jumping to quick feet movements. A jumping drill with Kbands speed and agility cones and an athletic ladder is very beneficial due to the versatility it offers in terms of various combinations of workouts that can be performed within this drill. Along with the jumping movements, any combination of leg and arm motions can be utilized and the drill can be performed to target different fitness goals. The jumping drills are performed with the Kbands leg resistance bands which give more range of motion and muscle activation which further enhance the output of the jump drill.
How To Perform The Jump Drill?
The drill set- up requires placement of three speed and agility cones followed by the ladder. The athlete straps on the Kbands leg resistance bands at the level of resistance he wishes to choose. The drill is begun by jumping over the speed and agility cones keeping the knees high and moving through this phase quite quickly. Once the athlete passes over the speed and agility cones he will swiftly move over to the agility ladder and over the ladder the athlete can choose any footwork drill that he wants do, like running or high knee icky shuffle. It is important to be mindful about the movement of the arms during the drill. It is important to throw out the hands in the air, because if the athlete only does the high knee tucks and does not move his arms in tandem powerful motion he will not be able to maximize his vertical potential. If the athlete wants to jump higher, he has to be explosive through every single step. Over the speed and agility cones, the athlete should move in three explosive high knee jumps and then move straight away to the ladder without any pause in between. The athlete can mix in any 3-4 ladder exercises before completing the drill. An athlete can complete eight complete sets of this drill only or can do any other combination of ladder exercises to complete this drill.
The fact that the athlete, while performing the jumping drill, has Kbands leg resistance bands on his legs gives tremendous added advantage to the drill. The Kbands leg resistance bands give the athlete a natural range of motion that is not limited to the movement of ankles only. Therefore not only the athlete can work upon his jump height and speed but also can achieve leg muscle activation while doing so.
Do’s And Don’ts Of Jumping Drill
While there is a lot of flexibility and versatility associated with the jumping drills, the agility ladder drills are not limited to leg and footwork only. For the drill to be fruitful in a holistic manner, the movement of arms is also vital. While making the jumps over the speed and agility cones, it is important to throw the arms also while jumping. If the athlete only jumps and does not move his arms properly, the total vertical height of the jump will not be improved. Every jump that is made over the speed and agility cones has to be explosive and the explosiveness should be maintained all the way to the agility ladder. The agility ladder can be used to perform any combination of exercises. Since the drill involves use of Kbands leg resistance bands, it is important to observe and take the standard precautions that need to be taken while using the Kbands leg resistance bands.
Never try to exert yourself beyond what you are comfortable with while doing resistance training as it may cause grievous injuries. Always perform drill with persistence and patience and gradually increase the level of intensity. It is very important to listen to your body and if something does not feel right, take notice of it immediately. The Kbands leg resistance bands in this drill give freedom of motion and the athlete’s movement is not restricted to the movement of ankles only. Therefore the athlete should drive the knees up and immediately transition into the footwork drill and keep building upon the speed on to the agility ladder. Explosiveness is the key to improve the levels of fitness during the drill. The footwork and the jumps should be done explosively and quickly to attain the maximum benefits of the drill. the pace should be maintained while jumping over the speed and agility cones and while moving to the agility ladder also. Once the agility ladder is reached the speed should be built up and the momentum should be continued. Keep in mind that since there are a number of combinations of footwork ladder drill that can be performed as sub- sets of this drill, the correct hand and feet movement is very crucial.