Vertical Jump Training for Volleyball - September 24th 2021

Before we get into exercises, sets and reps, the most important consideration is where is the athlete in their development. Has she spent any time in the weight room? A weaker athlete will get more out of strength training than a stronger athlete when we are talking about improving something like a vertical jump.

When you jump, your muscles contract as hard as they can in the time it takes to for your feet to leave the ground. Time is important because most jumps take place in fractions of a second, so the muscles only have a fraction of a second to contract. A stronger muscle will contract harder than a weaker muscle in that same time period. So, getting stronger is the easiest way to improve your daughters vertical jump if she has no real weight room experience. I am assuming that is the case if she is a sophomore.

I would have her performing a strength day early in the week and a power day later in the week. Ill give an example of each below.

Coaches and trainers try really hard to make ourselves look smart, but the truth is this stuff is pretty friggin simple. You lift a weight and you get stronger. If you have never lifted a weight, you don’t need to lift much to get stronger. In fact, the more novice you are the less you SHOULD lift. I would have her start with trap-bar deadlifts and squats. 3 sets of 5 reps. When she can perform 3 sets of 5 with good technique, we will add 10 lbs to the bar and progress from there. She will get strong AF pretty quickly following this simple progression. We would move on to some single leg work and direct hamstring work to balance things out.

The power day is where we take our strength gains and add speed. The key to a quality power day is performing every single rep with the intent of jumping through the ceiling. I would have her perform a weighted jump variation followed by an un-weighted jump variation. So, we might do 3 vertical jumps while holding 10lbs dumbbells, rest 10 seconds and then perform 2-3 box jumps. Rest 1-2 minutes and repeat for 3-5 sets.I would add some single leg work and direct hamstring work to end the workout.

Example Strength Day


A) Trap Bar Deadlifts 3x5. Rest 2 minutes between sets. Focus on technique, not the weight on the bar. Add weight when she can perform 3x5 with good technique.
B) DB Split Squats 3x8 per leg. Don’t let the DBs swing. Gently touch your knee to a pad or the floor, do not smash your knee into the ground.
C) Back Extensions 3x8-15. Focus on driving your hips into the pad. Pull the chin to the chest, arms crossed your shoulders. Pull yourself up with your hamstrings and glutes.

Example Power Day
A) DB Squat Jumps- 3x3 holding 10 lbs. DBs. Jump as high as possible, land softly, stand up tall and repeat.
-Rest 10 seconds-
A2) Box Jump- 3 x 2 jumps. Jump as high as possible. If the box is set at 18”, try to jump twice that height. Intent, intent, intent.
B) Romanian Deadlifts- 3x8. Push the hips back, feel the stretch in the hamstrings. Keep the bar touching the thighs.
C) Walking Lunges- 3x8 steps per leg.


With proper technique and consistent effort  she will be jumping out of the gym in no time.