Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Improving Your Triple Extension to Jump Higher

By Peter Kent


Ability to jump higher can bring great benefit for athletes. Slam dunk, powerful spike, block shot, are some of the benefits. One good method to increase your vertical jump is by train your triple extension. Triple extension requires three joints to happen : ankle, knee, & hip which are the basis for jumping, running, and squatting. The smooth combination of all those joints which moving from a flexed position to extended one will generate force to the ground that will help you to jump higher. The triple extension training will focus on improving the fast twitch fibers in the muscles you used when performing a triple extension jump.

Let's see what's going on in every joint extension when you jump.

1. Hip Extension

Your hamstrings and glutes will extend forward your hips. The hamstrings generates about one-third of force created & composed about 70% of fast twitch muscle fibers. The hamstrings are essential for velocity and force you need to jump higher.

2. Knee extension

Quadriceps muscle groups which consists of quick twitch & slower twitch muscle fibers driven the knee extension. A proper stretching to all muscle group is needed to prevent the limitation of knee flexion/extension caused by a tight hamstring.

3. Ankle extension

Ankle extension is mainly driven by the calf muscles.

How to improve your triple extension jump ? There are some exercises that can improve the triple extension jump such as Olympic lifts & weighted squat jump.

Olympic lifts (The Snatch and Clean & Jerk) is very good to improve your triple extension jump because :

* The whole body compound movements are involved

* It replicates motion patterns essential to your movement & performance

* It will increases the movement range as well as improve posture

* It improves your explosiveness, speed, acceleration, & vertical leap

Another exercise that recommended to improve your triple extension jump is weighted squat jump. It is because by doing it you exactly jumping using triple extension movement pattern. But don't forget that the purpose of this exercise is to maximize your vertical jump, not to train your leg strength.




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