Warm-up thoroughly by jogging, jumping rope, etc., until you have broken a sweat. Do not stretch unless you know you have short muscle groups such as hamstrings, quads, or hip flexors.

Technique: From a standing position at the top of a raised platform (see description below), extend your dominant-side foot forward to clear the platform, and then drop off of the platform (as opposed to jumping off). You should hit the ground with both feet simultaneously, with both arms extended behind you. IMMEDIATELY upon making contact with the ground, reverse and propel yourself upward, assisting with a vigorous upward swing of both arms in an attempt to attain the highest possible jump. Imagine that you are landing on a hot stove, and must immediately repel yourself off of the surface, however, do not attempt to land with straight knees in order to hasten the jump— you must allow your knees to flex somewhat as you land.

Note: Choose a box-height that equals your best vertical jump. However, if you cannot prevent your heels from making contact with the ground, incrementally lower the height of the box until you can perform the jump completely from your forefeet. Perform 10 jumps, with 2 minutes of rest between jumps (time yourself with a stopwatch). If on any given repetition your heels contact the ground, terminate the workout rather than lowering the box-height.

A. Depth jumps (see description and instructions from weeks 6-7). Perform 10 jumps, with 2 minutes of rest between jumps (time yourself with a stopwatch). If on any given repetition your heels contact the ground, terminate the workout rather than lowering the box-height.