Description: |
Box jumps are a plyometric movement designed to improve explosive power, therefore when prescribed should be limited to sets of 6 reps or fewer, with each jump done explosively and with perfect technique.
- Begin with a box of an appropriate height 1-2 feet in front of you. Start with chest up, knees slightly bent and not caving in, athletic position with feet shoulder width apart.
- Perform a short squat in preparation for jumping, swinging your arms behind you.
- Rebound out of this position, extending through the hips, knees, and ankles to jump as high as possible. Swing your arms forward and up.
- Land on the box with the knees bent, absorbing the impact through the legs, landing in the same position as you took off from. You should NOT be landing in a full squat position. You can jump from the box back to the ground, or preferably step down one leg at a time.
Common Errors
- Lifting the knees to almost chest height in order to land on a high box (a sign of great hip mobility (flexion), not jumping power).
- Landing heavy (high stress in shin/ankle).
- Landing with valgus knees (particularly female athletes).
- Rapid fire box jumps involving rebounding off the box (landing in a high stress position for the achilles).
- You see this most often when using box jumps as a conditioning tool (significant injury risk).
- Standing too close to the box and catching the shins on the front of the box.
|