Many young, eager athletes are quick to pull out the boxes for endless rounds of box jumps…
But, they’re slow to try anything else.
And I get it…
Box jumps are exhilarating, challenging, and you get a sense of accomplishment when you reach a height you’ve never hit before…
But, before you can actually jump higher,
You must learn how to absorb force.
I’ve been preaching this for years, but it seems like it hasn’t clicked for many athletes yet. And that’s why many athletes have been wasting time and money on vertical jump programs from Instagram coaches, and bro science from YouTubers…
This said…
Here’s a general rule that displays the importance of force absorption:
In order to produce more force, you must raise your capacity to absorb force
Think about it…
If I’m trying to squat 500 pounds, I have to be able to absorb all that force on the eccentric. And if I don’t I’ll crash to the ground.
Same with a jump…
If I’m trying to jump 40 inches,
I must be able to absorb as much force as possible when I descend before takeoff…
For every Newton of force I lose from weakness and inefficient movement… that’s potential inches off of my jump.
This said, there are multiple ways to teach your body to absorb more force…
Namely,
Plyometrics.
Not just depth jumps, but depth to broad, depth to vertical, depth to med ball vertical toss, depth to split lunge… The list goes on and on.
Another, lesser utilized, way to teach your body to absorb force is with slow eccentrics… With plyometrics AND on squats, trap bar deadlifts, even bench if you want to get that up.
And most athletes will skip out on this, because…
Eccentric training is hard!
But, if you implement it in your training, it’s highly rewarding…
The rewards?
More speed,
Higher vertical,
Explosiveness,
Strength…
The list goes on and on.