*This is the third installment of a several part series all about HOW TO JUMP HIGHER.*

It’s time for all you Basketball Fitters out there to take the next step in your vertical jump knowledge: Part III.

So far, we’ve covered the introduction and background of jumping, along with emphasizing relative strength, while also dispelling some myths often associated with vertical jumping.

Now, it’s time to move on to the next part in getting up like a kid on a trampoline, which is something we are going to call “strength expression”.

Strength expression is actually pretty self-explanatory; it’s how you express your strength, or to be even more specific, especially for basketball, it’s how rapidly or quickly you can express your strength.

I’m sure you have seen a lot of guys who seemed strong, but couldn’t jump high or run fast. They had the requisite “horsepower” or strength, but they couldn’t “express” it.

But, you are probably asking, if they had all that strength, then of course they would be able to express it, right? How else would we even know that they’re strong?

The answer to that is: Of course, they can express it. But, they couldn’t do it fast enough. And this is where strength expression and basketball really come together.

Think about it like this. When you’re doing a running two-legged vertical jump, you do your run-up to the basket, gathering yourself, do your 1-2 plant or a little hop-step and then explode into the air, right?

Ahh, hold on, I’m getting all excited writing about this right now, because I am about to blow your mind! Hah.

Ok, back to the example.

So, you do your run up, your plant and explode.

But, when you do your plant right before the jump, you are on the ground for a very short amount of time. It’s something like .15-.30 seconds for most people.

And that is your time window to express your strength.

You only have that very small amount of time to develop, apply and absorb force (strength) into the ground. And it’s that manipulation of force that is going to play a huge role in how high you are getting up.

Okay, that last sentence may have gone over your head. Simply, when you jump, it’s time-sensitive. You have to use the strength you have as fast as you can, because of that time-sensitivity.
And, going back to the strong guys you have probably been around who couldn’t jump, that is probably exactly why they weren’t getting up. They couldn’t express their strength fast enough for the little amount of time available to do so in a jump.

And that’s why other guys who might not be super-strong can still jump. They are freaking awesome at expressing their strength rapidly. And, together, that’s why jumping can be so individual and people of all body types and shapes can jump, or not jump.

So, now you are well on your way to skying like Nate Robinson. You know more about jumping than 99% of the world now, and we aren’t even halfway there. SCORE! Hah!.

For now, keep coming back to Basketball Fit and stay on your toes, because Part IV is coming soon!

How to Jump Higher Part I

How to Jump Higher Part II

How to Jump Higher Part III

How to Jump Higher Part IV

How to Jump Higher Part V

How to Jump Higher Part VI

How to Jump Higher Part VII