How to Increase Your Vertical Jump for Volleyball

To increase your vertical jump for volleyball, jump often and with purpose: plyometrics like box jumps and jump rope, lower-body strength work, a clean approach, and soft, controlled landings. Most players who train this way two or three times a week add noticeable inches over a season. The fastest way to start is simple: get in the gym, the weight room or on any level ground, and jump.

Below is how we approach vertical training at NBC Volleyball camps, including a full box-jump workout, what a “good” vertical looks like at each level, and a sample weekly plan.

What’s a good vertical in volleyball?

A good vertical depends on age, position and how you measure it. A standing vertical (two feet, no steps) is usually 4 to 8 inches lower than an approach vertical (your full attack approach). These rough approach-jump ranges are benchmarks, not cutoffs:

• Middle school girls: about 12–16 inches
• High school girls: about 16–22 inches; strong varsity hitters often reach the low 20s
• College women: about 20–26 inches, higher for outside hitters and middles
• High school boys: about 20–28 inches
• College men: about 28–34 inches

More useful than any chart is your own number. Measure your standing and approach jump touch now, then retest every four to six weeks. Progress against yourself is the number that matters.

1. Jump rope: build fast-twitch muscle and stamina

Two of my favorite techniques for increasing vertical are jumping rope and box jump training.

Many collegiate volleyball teams use jumping rope as both jump training and cardio training. Single unders are a great way to stay in shape while sharpening your fast-twitch muscles. I would also suggest adding double unders to your routine. This is when the jump rope goes under your feet twice during one single jump in the air.

Stay on the balls of your feet, keep your knees soft and keep ground contact short. The goal is quick, springy contacts, not big, heavy jumps.

2. Plyometrics: the box jump workout

A great workout for gaining inches on your vertical doesn’t need to be complex. All you need is a box. Start at the box height you feel most comfortable with and increase from there. I recommend a 24-inch box to start.

1. Box jumps – 10 reps (jump with two feet from the ground onto the box)
2. Approach jumps – 10 reps (approach the box and jump onto it)
3. Seated jumps – 8 reps (sit on the box, explode up off the ground as fast as you can, land on two feet on the box)
4. One-leg lunge jumps – 12 total (lunge side to side, landing and pushing off from your outside leg)
5. Quick feet – 30 seconds (find a line on the court and jump across it as fast as you can, with two feet or one foot, front to back and side to side)
6. Off the box – 10 reps (sit on a box or complete an air squat, then from the seated position jump up and onto the box)
7. Block jumps – 10 reps (feet shoulder-width apart, jump in front of a wall and block-touch the wall as high as possible)
8. Jump rope – 45 seconds (single unders)
9. Jump rope – 15–20 reps (double unders)

Repeat steps 1–9 twice. Rest 60–90 seconds between rounds so every jump is a quality jump. If your jumps get lower or your landings get loud, stop the set. Tired reps teach your body to jump slow.

3. Strength training: build the engine

Plyometrics teach you to be explosive, but strength gives you something to explode with. Players who only jump eventually plateau. Two or three lower-body strength exercises, done twice a week, raise that ceiling:

• Squats (goblet or back squat) for overall leg strength
• Split squats or step-ups for single-leg strength, which matters because your approach ends on one leg before the plant
• Romanian deadlifts or hip thrusts for the glutes and hamstrings that drive the jump
• Calf raises for the final push off the floor

Younger athletes can start with body weight and focus on form. Add load only under the eye of a coach or trainer.

4. Land softly and focus on stability

One of the most valuable things I was told by my high school weights coach was to land softly. Absorbing the impact of your jump when you land soft not only prevents injury, it also increases the amount of strength you gain with each jump. It also teaches you how to be in control of your body. If you can learn to stabilize and control your body movements, you create a more solid foundation to increase your vertical through training. Be intentional about landing soft and making each rep count.

Focus on stability. While sports like football, hockey and even basketball focus on the physical contact aspect of strength training, volleyball is not a direct contact sport. Most athletes know how to move from point A to point B, but stability in movement is an important part of developing vertical in volleyball. Add core work (planks, sit-ups, V-ups) to your jump workout too. A strong core helps your body stay in control when approaching and blocking without touching the net, even on a tight pass.

5. Fix your approach footwork

Many players can add inches without getting any stronger, just by cleaning up their approach. The approach turns forward speed into upward height, so small mistakes cost real inches.

• Accelerate through the approach. Your last two steps should be your fastest and longest, not a slow stutter into the jump.
• Get a big arm swing. Swing both arms back on your penultimate step, then drive them up hard as you take off.
• Plant heel to toe. Land your last two steps close together, heels first, rolling to the toes as you lift off.
• Jump up, not forward. Drifting into the net wastes height and leads to net violations.

Film a few approaches on your phone. Most players are surprised by how slow their last two steps actually are.

Sample weekly vertical jump plan

Jumping every day doesn’t add inches faster. Your legs need recovery to get stronger. During the off-season, a simple week looks like this:

• Monday: Box jump workout (2 rounds) + core
• Tuesday: Lower-body strength + jump rope (single and double unders)
• Wednesday: Rest or light mobility
• Thursday: Approach footwork (20–30 quality approaches) + block jumps
• Friday: Lower-body strength + core
• Weekend: Rest, or play

In season, cut back to one plyometric session and one strength session a week. Practices and matches already add plenty of jumps.

Common mistakes that cost you inches

• Doing too many jumps. Quality beats volume. Stop when your height drops.
• Loud, stiff landings. They’re hard on your knees and they slow your next jump.
• Skipping strength work. Plyometrics alone will plateau.
• Never measuring. If you don’t test, you can’t tell what’s working.

Training for a basketball vertical instead? Read How to Increase Your Vertical Jump for Basketball. For more drills, see volleyball reaction drills and drills for outside hitters.

Get out there and JUMP!

NBC Volleyball began in 1979 under the vision of NBC Camps President Fred Crowell and the insight of former Olympic Champion Kirk Kilgour. NBC stands for Nothing Beats Commitment and the philosophy that our daily habits reveal our future. To train with our coaches this summer, find an NBC Volleyball camp.