JUMPING FOR SURFERS

Super high box jumps look cool AF.

Scroll through Instagram and it won’t take long to find somebody completing a mega box jump…

Normally onto a precariously balanced stack of plates, flexing their hips to such an extent that they’re practically kneeing themselves in the chest / face.

BUT is this is the most effective jump variation for improving lower body power?

Or is there a more suitable (but probably less cool) alternative?

HIP HEIGHT = JUMP HEIGHT

If you’re trying to develop power, you need to aim for maximum displacement of your hips from the standing position to the top of the jump.

What often happens with super high box jumps is that in order to land on top, the emphasis shifts towards hip mobility and how quickly you can ‘tuck’, rather than accelerating your hips and PROJECTING upwards.

Admittedly, high box jumps with a tuck still look badass.  

And they do have their benefits for sure… 

if you want to cue rapid extension and flexion of the hips or if you just want to provide yourself with a physical obstacle / external cue.

Have you maximally displaced your hips to reach the box?  Or just rapidly tucked your hips as soon as you left the floor? 

LOW BOX = HIGH JUMP

Here’s how you can ensure you’re jumping as high as possible when using box jumps;

1. LOWER THE BOX (and your ego) – A lower box means you don’t have to tuck.  In the second clip, I’m only jumping onto a 22” box but my hip displacement is higher than the first clip (where the box is 41”), because I’m just focussed on jumping as high as possible and ‘floating’ onto the low box, rather than tucking to meet the box.
2. PROJECT YOURSELF UPWARDS – Don’t tuck but focus on making yourself as long as possible in the air before dropping onto the box and catching yourself in a shallow squat position.

All this can be boiled down to one key take away:

In EVERY scenario (unless told otherwise) when performing box jumps, your goal shouldn’t be to land on the box.  

It should be to JUMP THROUGH the roof.  The box is just there to break your fall on the way back down!

Hope this helps.  As always, give me a shout if you have any questions at all

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Adrenaline Athlete (@adrenaline.athlete)