Box jumps are a fantastic tool for any athlete's training regime, they drive the heart rate up, can be manipulated to increase power/endurance/proprioception and lets be honest, can be pretty fun. However which box jumps should you be doing? Which one's are more relative to your sport? It is not just about hurling yourself up and down a box without a care for technique, there is a science behind which position to start in, how to load the body differently, how the landing effects you and how the body should feel. So check out below, our guide to box jumping and which variations
Stationary Start:
This is the basic box jump you will have seen people in the gym doing, standing from a stationary position, going into a squat before driving through the heels, using the arms for propulsion, high knees before landing on the box with both feet and knees slightly bent. This is the basic box jump, you can use this as an endurance builder, as it is easy to replicate, easy to repeat and the easiest technique. This can be repeated for a high volume of reps which is very relative to sports like rugby, football, hockey, Crossfit etc where you need an element of power to go with your endurance.
However how you land can also be relative to what sport you play! For example if you are playing a team sport where there is a lot of impact on the knees, a change of direction and knee injuries are common, you may want to consider a soft landing. With a soft landing, the knees will bend slightly and act as shock absorb-er. Much like a crumble zone on a crashed car, the softness of the landing increases the length of time of impact so reduces it's overall force. This means less force upon the knee!
However you can also have a hard landing, this is where you slam your feet into the box as hard as you can. More than likely this will result in the legs being straight meaning there is more force on the knee in a fixed position. This would be more ideal for max-power athletes like Olympic lifters who need a maximal effort contraction on every lift.
You can also introduce single leg landings from this position. Exactly the same process as a normal box jump, however landing (and sticking) on one foot. This is a great rehabilitation exercise for athletes returning from lower limb injuries as it helps prepare the body for stability during running and jumping during sport. This is relative for any athlete who has any form of running in their sport as if you can hand correctly onto a box with one foot without falling, then your balance when landing during running should be fine!
Vertical Jump into Box Jump
Our next variation is a standing vertical jump into a box jump. This is where whilst standing stationary, jump as high as possible, land and then as quickly as you can jump onto the box. The box jump portion is exactly the same as the first box jump which was mentioned earlier. This is used to help develop ground reaction force and the ability to recruit force as quickly as possible. This is good for footballers, tennis players, cricket fast bowlers as they need the ability to quickly transfer force in two movements (two steps).
Standing Broad Jump into Box Jump
Our penultimate jump is a standing broad jump into a box jump. A standing broad jump is where, from a stationary start, you simply jump as far forward as possible landing in a deep squat (imagine a long jumper into a sand pit from a stationary start), you then directly propel yourself into a normal box jump! This is particularly useful as the forward trajectory from the broad jump is harder to land than the vertical jump. This is useful for short sprint athletes like tennis, american footballers and some aspects of athletics.
Weighted Box Jump
Our final jump we shall discuss is the weighted jump, this is for more developed athletes rather than novice jumpers. There are two ways of applying the weight, either by wearing a weighted vest or by holding dumbbells/kettlebells. The weighted vest is less common to have in the gym, but is easier for the jumper. As there is no weight in the hands, it means you can still use your arms to help propel the body forwards. When holding dumbbells/kettlebells you have to keep your arms by your side, without using the arms to build momentum. This is a good way of keeping the chest upright in both the jumping and landing phase. Adding additional weight to the jump can increase the force production which is essential for our big collision sports like rugby, combat sports and american football. The additional weight also puts more stress on the balance when landing, which makes it another great exercise for stability!
So that is our guide to which box jumps you should be doing and which sports they are useful for! We hope you find this useful and transfer it into any of your training that you may be doing. If you have any questions with regards techniques, the cues or physiological issues then please let us know. As always, feel free to comment below or follow us on instagram - @nrgsportstherapy! Happy reading!
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