ippt the standing broad jump sbj: training
Author: Jonathan Wong, Singapore Personal Trainer And Performance Expert
So let’s get to our philosophy of training for the SBJ.
Individual differences
Simple way…
First we need to find out what kind of “jumper” you are. There are, in general 2 kinds that I will describe.
First is the “bouncy” or “springy” jumper. These guys look kangaroo like. Long limbs, long tendons (small, short calf muscles and long Achilles tendons), usually skinnier build.
When jumping, the springy guys just look bouncy. They look floaty, they look smooth. They also prefer to jump off one leg more than two. They also have a huge difference in their jumps when they compare a jump with a “run-up” and a jump from a stand still. Their run-up jumps will be a lot more comfortable and better.
These springy guys are usually fast over distances like 100m where their long strides and bouncy steps take effect, however they are not as powerful at acceleration so it takes some time for them to reach top speed. An example of a bouncy jumpers are most of the high flying NBA players like Vince Carter and Kobe Bryant.
These guys are like sports cars, smooth and fast.
The second kind of jumper is the “power” jumper. He is usually more thickly built, has shorter tendons (look at his calf muscles, they are usually large and thick). He looks powerful rather than bouncy. When he jumps he looks like he is going to rip the floor away under him. He also prefers to jump off two feet rather than one. These guys have little difference in their jump heights and distances regardless if they have a run-up or not.
Power jumpers are usually strong over shorter distances like 10m or 20m where their superior power makes them good at acceleration, they can get to top speed very fast. Good examples of power jumpers are Olympic weightlifters and Track and field throwers. In fact the world record for the broad jump is held by a Track and field thrower. Those guys are large and powerful.
Power jumpers are like 4 Wheel Drive Trucks. Powerful.
Personally I am more a power jumper than I am a springy one. But not by much, I do have some “springy” attributes (I do better with a bit of run-up etc) but I also have some power ones (fast over 10m, and thicker muscles with short tendons).
If you are still not sure…
All the above information not enough to help you find our which kind of jumper you are? No problem. Take the following steps to determine which kind you are. It is important that you know, so that you can tailor your training to your needs. The test described below has been used by many sports performance coaches to determine what kind of training their athletes should focus on.
The training programs in this book will be different depending on the results of this test. The test is actually a vertical jump test, but the results will apply to the SBJ as well.
To take this test you will need:
Chalk – 1 stick
Wall – 1 piece
Measuring stick – 1 stick
Boxes or benches that can be increased in 15cm increments
Step 1: Test your standing vertical jump by standing sideways next to a wall. Put some chalk on the fingers of your hand nearer the wall. Reach up as high as you can (don’t cheat) without your heels leaving the ground. Touch your fingers to the wall to make a mark with the chalk on the wall.
Step 2: Do a half or quarter squat and then jump as high as you can touching your fingers to the wall again. Repeat 3 times with 2 min rest between attempts. Take the best of the 3 attempts and measure the distance between the lowest chalk mark when you reached up, and the highest chalk mark when you jumped.
Firstly, if your result is less than 45 cm stop here. You are a beginner jumper and don’t need specialized training. You just need to get stronger and better all around. Use the beginner training template which will focus on strength and a bit of springy training.
If your jump is more than 45 read on.
Step 3: Now use the lowest bench you have which should be about 30cm. (pile a bunch of books or something if you need to…) Climb up and step off – NOT JUMP OFF. You should land about 20-30cm in front of the bench. Land on the ground with 2 feet and then immediately jump as high as you can, using the bounce of the landing to help you jump higher.
Step 4: Check your jump height now. If it’s lower than your standing jump (step 1 and 2) then stop. This means that your body is not able to use the spring from the drop. That means more bouncy training for you BTW this is called “reactive” training in sports training circles.
If your drop jump is equal or higher than your standing jump, increase the box to 45cm and try again by repeating step 3 and 4. If your drop jump is still higher, keep repeating the test increasing the box 15cm each time till your drop jump is not higher than your standing jump.
You will have found that you are more bouncy/reactive and also the correct height of box to train from. In this case you need more focus on strength training and less bouncy training.
Training
Ok. Now that we know what to train, let’s find out how.
One of the many questions I am asked is “I don’t want/like/have time for/have access to” a gym. Sure you can do well training at home with no equipment and just you bodyweight but I would be lying if I said that was as good as getting into a proper gym.
There are 3 components that need to be trained in various amounts depending on what kind of jumper you are bouncy or powerful.
Maximal Strength – You need to be able to lift heavy stuff.
Speed Strength – You need to be able to lift moderately heavy stuff FAST
Reactive Strength – You need to be able to use the springy properties of your body
There are also 3 different categories of people in general.
Beginner
- You have never or very seldom lifted weights, or done any structured jumping program.
- You don’t know how to perform a proper full squat or deadlift.
- You have poor performance in the standing jump test (<45cm)
- You have a sedentary job and hardly exercise <2x a week
Novice
- You sometimes hit the gym
- You know how to safely squat and deadlift with a barbell
- Your vertical jump is >45cm
- You exercise regularly (3x a week) but without a specific goal
Intermediate
- You train in the gym regularly and can squat and/or deadlift 1.5x your bodyweight safely
- Your vertical jump is >45cm and in some cases much more.
- You exercise regularly and with some goals in mind
- You have tried jumping specific programs before
Advanced
- You are strong and can squat and deadlift 1.5x your bodyweight in your sleep.
- You already have a good vertical jump 70cm or more
- You have specific exercise and performance goals
- You are active almost every day (not necessary gym but some kind of activity)
Now to choose a program, I have provided many. You don’t need to have a perfect match, just choose one that suits you the closest.
- Beginner’s bodyweight program
- Beginner’s gym program
- Novice program
- Intermediate Strength Program (for those who are already bouncy and need to train strength)
- Intermediate Bouncy Program (for those who are already strong and need to train to be bouncy)
- Advanced Strength Program
- Advanced Bouncy Program
For all visitors please go ahead and fill in your contact information below so we can send you the links to download our "visitor only" products.
1550 Page Fitness E-book (The world's largest!)
"No Equipment Needed" Fat Burning Home Workout. Plan Complete With Instructional Videos.
A healthy recipes cookbook.
E-mail & Hard Copy Newsletter full of fitness information, updates, offers and news.
A Hard Copy of our special report on "How to choose a personal trainer".
An upcoming DVD about how we can help you reach your goals.
Note: We HATE Spam and will never never give your email or real address or contact information to a 3rd party. Your information is secure with us.
Please fill in the form accurately so that we can correctly send the information to you.