Isawall Athletes Part 1: Improving Vertical Jump

Isawall has fitness and rehabilitative applications for people of all ages and abilities. One of the areas that Isawall really excels at however are the exercises that can be utilized to strengthen athletes and improve their performance. Isawall’s unique platform for performance related exercises will help any athlete take their sport to the next level.

 

 

Simulating Sports Movements

One of the most important aspects of speed, strength, and agility training for athletes is to simulate training movements and exercises as closely as possible to the sport in consideration. Sometimes these movements can be closely mimicked, and other times they can be directly replicated, albeit with resistance. This is where Isawall comes in.

 

 

There are numerous exercises for a huge variety of sports that can be directly or indirectly replicated with resistance on Isawall. In this article we’ll take a look at how to increase vertical power and vertical jump. In part 2 we’ll take a look at some very sport specific exercises that can be used to directly improve specific movements utilizing Isawall.

 

 

Improving Explosive Vertical Jump

As an athlete you understand the importance of having powerful upward movement and/or a strong vertical jump. There are a few ways that Isawall can directly improve your vertical force and/or vertical jump.

 

With our plyometric platform, athletes can utilize a belt with bands attached at the base to form vertical resistance. The plyometric platform allows athletes to customize the length of the bands to fit their height. Our belts provide substantial padding to accommodate the downward force provided from the bands. Athletes engage in basic jumping exercises, simulating the jump as closely as possible to their normal jump, but with added resistance.

 

The resistance bands used with the plyometric platform can be switched out to make the movement more or less difficult. Additionally, our standard Isawall resistance bands can be utilized simultaneously to add overhead resistance in addition to the resistance provided via the belt being worn. This is particularly beneficial for basketball players, volleyball players, baseball players, rugby players, and many other sports.

 

With the added resistance afforded from the resistance belt and bands, the body will strengthen its explosive vertical movement. The results vary based on sport, but can have significant outcomes during play. Basketball players will be able to jump higher above their competition making more shots and possibly enabling dunking. Volleyball players will increase their vertical jump, missing less overhead balls and being able to spike with greater frequency, power, and an increased downward angle. Baseball players will increase their vertical jump, thereby being able to catch more overhead hits that in the past were above their reach when they jumped.

 

Improving Vertical Jump With Isawall Using Suspension Training

Another great method for improving vertical power and vertical jump with Isawall is the use of suspension training. With this method of training, the user attaches a suspension trainer into Isawall at a point directly in front of them, about elbow height or even slightly lower. The athlete then goes into a deep squat. At this point the athlete can either complete the squat or go into a vertical jump.

 

There are a few great benefits to doing a suspension training deep squat or deep squat into vertical jump with Isawall. First, by utilizing Isawall multi-level insertion points, you can customize the insertion for your height. Changing between athletes is very quick and easy, taking one or two seconds.

 

With the suspension trainer inserted into Isawall directly in front of you, as opposed to overhead (which is the way it is typically done), you have the ability to stay upright. A high insertion point with the suspension trainer requires excessive forward leaning the further you go down into the squat. This means that more and more of your squat is a matter of back extension, rather than knee and hip flexion and extension. By maintaining more of an upright posture, the leg muscles are forced to work harder in the squat movement.

 

A great benefit of doing the squat or squat into vertical jump using suspension training on Isawall is the fact that the athlete can go very deep into the squat. Because the knees stay further behind the front of the feet and the user has forward support, it’s possible to go nearly all the way to the ground. This allows for huge range of motion and the utilization of greater muscle activation to bring the athlete through the greater movement.

 

Vertical jump and explosive vertical movement has some relevance in most sports. The ability to overcome gravity at higher acceleration can mean the difference between an average and exceptional athlete. Using the methods described here using Isawall, you can train your body to move well beyond the normal limits seen in various sports.

 

In Part 2 of this series, we’ll take a look at some sport specific exercises that can be done on Isawall. These exercises are a great way of directly improving movements and actions used in sport.

 

 

 

Paul Owens is a personal trainer in the Cleveland area. He is a Certified Personal Trainer through the National Strength and Conditioning Association, and the National Council on Strength and fitness. He is also a Corrective Exercise Specialist through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. He can be reached at http://www.clevelandpersonaltraining.com