130807 Q&A Session with Jack W & Joel S on facebook:ScoobyC:
i have been training for vert for 6 yrs. Able to squat and deadlift just over 2x BW. Also completed ur program for both in season and off season. My vert did increase. However i am still missing 1~2 inch in order to get my first dunk. I am a 2 foot jumper. And recently i note that my 2 step approch 2 foot jump have the same height as my 4 steps full run approach. I figure something is wrong in my jump. I am not able to gain any height from the extra run up. Could u give me some suvgestion on how to go from here? All I need is that extra inch or 2.
i am getting old at 33 yrs old with a body fat of about 14%
Joel Smith:
Scooby, I would need to see a video of your jump, but I am guessing two things might be the case:
1 you are more of a power jumper, with a BF of 14%,
and also, you might lack the ability/skill to properly lower and convert your center of mass from horizontal to vertical over high speed. basically, there is a speed threshold where you can no longer convert horizontal speed to vertical effectively
this may mean that you utilize more of a jump stop style takeoff than a sweeping left/right or right/left takeoff. you will have to spend more time practicing off of a longer approach to improve your long approach jump. you will also want to practice jumping using intentionally more speed than you can handle, so long as you keep your technique togetherJack Woodrup:
Scooby, Nearly missed you there.
My thoughts on what you have said. One, 14% bodyfat could be dropped down to 8-9% through diet changes and maybe some sprint intervals which would definitely help. Strength doesn't seem to be a problem but from what you describe your reactive strength or technique is holding you back (and you are right, based on your picture you are damn close). Without knowing your exact program I would look at adding in some more skipping based drills such as 123 jumps etc to your workout to help you get more efficient off the run, as well as more dunk practice of course. You should definitely be getting more inches off the run up so that suggests that is where your extra inches will come.ScoobyC:
Thanks joe and jack. I am uploading that video as i type this. thanks for both of ur suggestion. i would like to add that when i preform two foor jump. i tend to take a little hop into a jump. aften i feel like i am using gravity as a force to load my leg before take off. i feel that if i am using gravity instead of activly pulling myself down to load up my jump, it will limit my max vert. would that be a reason?
Video:
<![CDATA[<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVBNMIYBBGs" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVBNMIYBBGs</a>]]>Joel Smith:
ScoobyC, you do have more of a jump stop mechanism as I expected. This will often tend to typecast someone as a "power jumper", in order to really get up off of a longer approach, you are going to have to work on perfecting how to lower your center of gravity in a jump. Instead of waiting for the last step to lower, you will want the process ot begin 2-3 steps out... sometimes more. This is the case with Olympic long jumpers. they will lower the most drastically in the last step, but the process begins with a few strides to go.Scooby Conclusion:
Same as dropping a rubber ball from a height, with only gravity helping, the ball can not get high. If the ball can be thrown hard downward with additional force, the ball will shoot much higher.
Now, due to my jump stopping before the jump approach, the only additional power is from Gravity itself, the more free I am able to drop myself into a jump, the higher I get, but there is only so much gravity avaliable. So, here is what Joel suggested.
PS. After initial test of this approach, I try to keep my chest upand slowly lower myself into the jump.... so I thought I did that, but after video review, I notice I am still leaning forward, right when I decide to RUN toward the rim during my first step.... testing will continue.
