March 23, 2001, Newsletter Issue #23: Box Jumps For Hitters

Tip of the Week

Jumping Higher With Plyometric Boxes
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There is a huge amount to be gained by doing the jump rope and the many exercises that can be done on the floor. But using the plyometric boxes will also improve your jump dramatically, if you do it right.

The plyometric boxes come in various sizes and heights. You may want to have an assortment on hand. (If you`re buying them yourself, be aware: they can be spendy, but you can also make good ones yourself, if you`re handy.)

Start with a small box, generally about 12" high, and do your jumps in quick, explosive movements. It`s that explosive movement that increases your jump. You want to remain on the ground or on the box as little a time as possible each time you jump.

There are many, many exercises involving boxes. You`ll find a number of them at the web site, and we`ll keep adding more. The one we begin with is the simple "line up about 3 or 4 and go through them" drill. All it involves is having the players form a circle, jump the boxes (which are lined up in a row, about 3` apart, making the players have to leap high and far to reach the next box) quickly, then loop around and do it again. After jumping the last box, instead of just landing, we also have them do one final leap off the floor, which gives them one more jump, just for good measure.

We start with 10 trips through the boxes, and work our way up, depending on the group.

Check out Volleyball-tips for ideas, or visit the links you`ll find there, too.

Till next time, play on...

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