Learning how to increase vertical leap can be done the right way or the wrong way. The right way is by buying a legitimate jump program written by a vertical jump expert like Taylor Allan. It will encourage quality time over quantity, and will never promise 100%, a vertical height improvement of something like 15 inches from your current height. While it may be possible, it’s a case to case basis.
The first aspect of how to increase vertical leap is by understanding the importance of static stretching. Static stretching is also known as passive stretching sustained over a period of time. In other words, you do not moving from your stretching position for about 15 to 20 seconds. Your position can vary from standing to sitting on the floor. If you have never seen a dance class before, you should observe one. Dancers always start from extremities, then work their way to more difficult exercises. For instance, many dances classes start with the dancer doing head rotations, nothing else moves. Then, the exercise moves down to the shoulders, then to the arms, and wrists. And the exercises turn towards the waist and then ankles. Leg muscles, abdominals, and other “center” areas are one of the last warm-up exercises that are done before it starts to get intense.
In sports, the same happens with static stretching. By doing this, you allow you body to get acclimatized to moving. To further illustrate, when you wake up in the morning, you stretch before getting out of bed. This prevents you from cramping or pulling a muscle – it’s the same principle.
There is a group of conditioning coaches who believe that static exercises should be thrown out the window, especially before a competition or game. They believe that by doing static stretching, your balance and power is compromised. However, there is no study that supports this. The most the research show is that there is a small effect to the reactive responses because it brings down the adrenaline pumping through the body, but not enough to affect the performance.
Compared to dynamic stretching which is quick stretches, static stretching is better for sports that have an increasing level of motion. This means it is a good warm up for jumping and leaping. Your body, when you jump, stays in the air for a few seconds before landing, and static stretching helps condition the body in preparation for this effort.
Thus, static stretching is good if you have to jump often in a game. It will not improve your jump height, but it will help sustain your jump, prevent injuries, or worsen existing injuries.