Exercises for better jumping

Intro

Jumping involves two things:

A reason or purpose for the jump.
The jump itself.

Jump sequence

In taekwondo, the purpose of a jump is usually to perform a kick; therefore, taekwondo jumps are performed in a specific way.

The sequence of steps in performing a taekwondo jump:

Preparation (without alerting the opponent).
Jump (as high as needed).
Chamber (for power in the kick, usually achieved by tucking).
Kick (as quickly and powerfully as possible).
Re-camber (to regain stability and prepare for the landing).
Controlled landing (softly land in a stable stance, in a guard position).

Jump training

To train for jumping, running and weightlifting certainly help, but, as with other activities, the best way to train for an activity is to perform the activity repeatedly. To help speed the training, it helps to break the activity into its components, train in each of the components, and then train the activity using in all the components together.

Jump training tips:

Start with a warm-up. Before training, first, perform some light warm-up exercises, and then perform some light stretches, finishing with some lower back and leg stretches.
Starting/landing position. Stand in your fighting stance with the arms held in a guard position. Start with the feet a shoulder apart. Instead of keeping the feet parallel, stand with the feet with a comfortable, natural angle between them.
Repetitions. Repeat each exercise until it becomes difficult to perform the movement smoothly and perfectly. When fatigue sets in, proper form will suffer, and you then start training the muscles to perform in an undesired manner. Loosen the legs between component exercises if necessary.
REMEMBER. The arms are used to guard, block, and attack; they are not used to add height to a jump, and they are not waved about to maintain balance. If you train using your arms to pump for a jump, you will do it while sparring and will telegraph your intention to jump to your opponent. Also, if you reach up for a jump, you expose yourself to a counterattack to the midsection.
End with a cool-down. Walk or jog for a couple of minutes and then perform some heavy leg and lower back stretches.

Training sequence

The following training sequence is for use in training for jumps. The sequence trains each component of the jump, starting with the feet, and then it trains the jump itself.

Feet

Foot/calf strengthening. To help put “spring” into a jump, you must train the toe, ankle, and calf muscles. Hold your hands in your guard position and do not move them around to maintain balance; instead, use toe pressure and minute body movements to maintain stability. Keeping your legs straight, raise your body weight to the balls of your feet, and straighten the feet to raise the body as high as it will reach. Hold for a few seconds while balancing on the balls of the feet and then slowly lower the feet back to having the heels on the floor.
Foot jumping. Keeping the legs straight, jump straight up only using the feet, springing off the balls of the feet, using the same motion as above. Land on the balls of the feet, hold there for a second, and slowly lower back to the heels.

Knees

Jumping with a slight knee bend. We were keeping the knees relatively straight in the previous exercises to isolate the calf muscles. Now we will add the knee muscles to the jump. Slightly bend the knees, about a 20-degree bend. Still concentrating on the calf muscles, jump off the floor using the same motion as in the feet exercises. Land on the balls of the feet and let the knees bend to help absorb the landing. As in the foot jumping, stay on the toes a second and then slowly lower the heels to the floor.
Jumping with a shallow knee bend. Perform the same jump, but start and end with a greater a bend in the knees, about 30-degrees

Legs

Jumping with a deep knee bend. The same jump as before but start and finish with a deep knee bend. Jump with full power as high as you can while thrusting upward with the body and shoulders, but keep the arms held in guard. Land on the balls of the feet, with a deep knee bend, hesitate, and slowly lower to the heels. Make sure to get the feet to the floor as you land, don’t let the floor come to the feet; if you do, you will land with a jolt.

Jumping into a tuck position

The same jump as before but start with a natural knee bend that you would use while sparring. If you bend your knees before you jump, you will telegraph the jump to your opponent. Therefore, your normal fighting stance should be with the knees slightly bent, and this is the amount of bend you must learn to jump from. This is not a diving exercise, so you do not spring up and down as if you were diving off a diving board into a pool, you just suddenly jump.
As you jump, jerk the knees upward toward the shoulders. Do not pick the feet up directly under the hips and do not pull them up to the back as if you were kicking yourself in the butt; let the feet follow the knees and left slightly in front of the hips. Do not think about jumping the feet off the floor; think about lifting the knees to the shoulders, the feet will come along for the ride. Then quickly thrust the knees back toward the floor and land on the balls of the feet let the knees bend to absorb the impact, and slowly lower to the heels. Make sure to get the feet to the floor as you land, do not let the floor come to the feet; if you do, you will land with a jolt.
To develop even more power in your jumps, after landing on the balls of the feet, immediately jump again.

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