 How to jump higher for volleyball. Jumping is an integral part of volleyball as both an offensive and defensive weapon. All athletes can increase their vertical leap by strengthening key muscles, harnessing plyometrics and honing overall volleyball technique. Plyometric exercises increase strength, explosive speed, and agility. Doing these exercises regularly can not only increase your vertical jump, but also improve your overall volleyball game. Targeting essential muscles. Build your leg muscles. Your legs are the powerhouse of your jump. The stronger your leg muscles are, the harder you can propel yourself upwards to a maximum vertical leap. The type of exercises you can do will depend on the equipment you have available to you. Consult a health or fitness specialist to ensure your body is able to strengthen itself in a healthy manner. Focus on exercises that mimic the jumping motion. A good way to do this is by doing squats, which can be done with or without equipment. Squats can be done by simply standing with your leg shoulder-width apart and lowering your body towards the ground with your back straight and knees bent at a 45 degree angle as if you were sitting down on a chair. Stand up straight and repeat. Increase the intensity by adding weights, being careful to incrementally increase weights as your strength increases. 1. Lunges strengthen your glutes and can be done with or without equipment. Lunges can be done by simply standing up straight and taking one step forward with your back straight and knee bent at a 45 degree angle. Step out farther for a more difficult lunge. Stand up straight and repeat, making sure to alternate legs. Increase the intensity by adding weights, being careful to incrementally increase weights as your strength increases. 2. Before using any equipment, consult a specialist to ensure its proper use. strengthen your calves. This muscle group is essential to jumping higher. Calf raises are an easy and effective exercise that can be done with or without equipment. Calf raises can be done by standing up straight with your feet on the ground and then moving up onto your tippy toes. Stand at a ledge to increase the range of motion to your muscles. You can also do one leg at a time making sure to alternate between each leg to ensure balance. Increase the intensity by adding weights, being careful to incrementally increase weights as your strength increases. 3. Build your core muscles. According to popular belief, jumping isn't just about the muscles in your legs. Your core muscles in your back and abdominals are a big part of your body movement and are engaged for balance and coordination. Many core workouts can be done without equipment. Some good workouts to build these muscles are crunches and supermans. There are many variations of abdominal exercises.One of the simplest is the crunch. Lay down with your back and feet on the ground with your knees bent. Keeping your feet and glutes on the ground, crunch your abdominal muscles as you move your upper body toward your knees. You can keep your hands behind you or out in front of you. Lower yourself back down to the starting position and repeat. Be careful to move with purpose, isolating your abdominal muscles and being careful to avoid any jerking movements that could be harmful to your lower back. 5. Supermans are a great compliment to crunches as they strengthen your lower back. Lay face down with your hands above your head to mimic a flying Superman. Raise both your upper body and legs simultaneously and hold for a beat to isolate the muscles of your lower back. Lower back down to the starting position and repeat as necessary. 6. Build your arm muscles. The muscles are also a big part of jumping higher as they provide momentum as you explode upwards. Arms are also a big part of your approach when you go up to hit a ball or block. Many good workouts for your arms can be done with weights or equipment. Push ups and pull ups can be done with minimal equipment while bicep curls and tricep pushdowns need weights or equipment for resistance. Pushups can be done without any equipment by laying down face down with the palms of your hands on the ground and your arms extended, perpendicular to your body, but bent at the elbows. Push down onto the palm of your hands, lifting your body off the ground and straightening your arms. Lower yourself back down to the starting position and repeat. Change the positioning of your hands to target different muscles. 7. Pull ups need to be done with a bar high enough to lift yourself off of the ground. Simply grab the bar above your head and lift yourself towards the bar. It may be difficult at first but try to keep your body straight and allow yourself to rise and fall in the full range of motion of your arms. You can either keep your palms facing away from you or towards you, varying the distance between them. Changing the positioning of your hands will target different muscles. Try not to let your arms fall straight down and lock. It is better to keep some bend in them between pull-ups. 8. Bicep curls can be done with weights or equipment by simply keeping your arms straight at your side and lifting the weight toward your bicep, bending at the elbow. Alternate between arms. Changing your grip targets different areas of your bicep and forearm muscles. 9. Bench dips work your triceps, can be done almost anywhere, and requires no equipment. Put your arms behind you on the edge of a tub or on a chair so your fingers are pointing out. Keep your elbows slightly bent and close to your body. Bend your legs and bend them slightly at the knee. Lower your body until your elbows are at a 90-degree angle and lift yourself back up. 10. Tricep pushdowns are done with specialized equipment, usually with cables used to move weights. Usually ropes, bars, or handles are attached to the end of the cable. Utilizing different attachments focuses on different areas of your triceps. Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart and pull the cable down by the attachment starting with your elbows at 90 degrees and extending downward, moving your hands towards the ground. Find a fitness specialist for the proper use of each attachment. 11. Find workouts that help and motivate you. Lifting weights and exercising as a whole can be repetitive and boring. Find exercises that help work out your muscles or get you jumping without losing motivation. There are many free resources online to help you vary your workout and find exercises that work for you. Find inspiration through partners, trainers, and music. Jam out to some of your favorite tunes to keep your mind distracted from the repetition. High-energy music can also keep your energy up. Find a trainer, training partner or a workout video for support. Trainers can be expensive but worth the investment to ensure your safety and maximize your potential. Choose your training partners wisely as you want to support each other. It's easy to create a social atmosphere and get distracted from the task at hand when you work out with friends who don't have the same goals as you