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Yeah well in the past I was definitely a reactive jumper with all that it implies... I was jumping at an established speed with a long run-up at ~7-10 steps I suppose. All I was doing was pre-contract isometrically before my jumping leg was hitting the ground and then just extend at the hip...

I still do some of those things now but it's obviously a strength jump because jumping to a rim, that's higher than you and you need to "reach" towards it makes you become such a jumper.

i can't jump at all going a constant speed.. if i'm not accelerating into it, i can't jump.. i have been trying to do that though, working on it.. working on longer run ups too.. when i do longer runups i have a smaller penult, but my jump height suffers.. i just can't transfer it to vertical, i get much more horizontal..

You could try what I was suggesting to Nightfly (and what I'm going to do myself): a 5 step acceleration followed by like a 10 step constant speed and a submaximal jump over a low rope (high speed approach). You can also use a sprint into a submax jump. The idea is for the jump to occur at a constant speed so the muscles aren't forced to voluntarily create concentric power, just contract isometrically and absorb the shock.

In time you can get the rope higher as you get more efficient.  One important thing to keep in mind though is that full hip hyperextension should occur (should be the focus of the jump) regardless of the jump height (well, that's important too but not as important as the hip extending properly).

Well I already have markers... you know, the little colored circles I put on the ground. A hurdle is a bigger marker and easier to see though, but it's also heavier

I think I still prefer the markers.

My idea with the rope was to force me to actually jump vertically over it.

A strength guy always has the option, in my opinion, of going for the reactive way of training because he has the strength. It's going to be a period of adaptations where things might suck but well...

One reason, beyond the obvious "this is a new thing", is that maybe the stabilizers and posture are not suited for that kind of jumping because of all the previous programming that basketball has done for a strength guy to jump the way he does.

So I believe it's only a matter of patience and "wanting" to do it.

This is a broad jump image sequence with me and Flip and another guy I train with:

Yeah I like to use the "precipice" example to make my point about the broad jump... if you fall back you fall in the precipice. If your heel doesn't get past the line, the same thing happens.

But I looked... "weak" out there. I mean, I look reactive somewhat because I'm smooth in my movements (for reasons that escape me), but other than that I look weak.

Hello,

I wrote a new article: http://evolutionaryathletics.com/blogs/raptor/2010/08/26/training-for-a-strength-running-jump-vs-training-for-a-reactive-running-jump/

The thing I love the most about these coaches is that they confirm a lot (A LOT) of my theories that I conceived just by observation and sometimes using myself as the guinea pig. So it's great to hear great coaches confirming what you were suspecting, especially when you get into arguments with retarded coaches that just follow books without thinking about what actually happens in a movement etc.

So it's very rewarding for me

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eW0qMfGzb0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eW0qMfGzb0</a>