New web design! Just Fly moves into the future

Jumpscoach followers,

My new site, www.just-fly-sports.com now has a brand new design.  In the coming months and years, it is my aim to bring followers of the site the best information available in regards to strength training and human performance, completely free of charge.

Check out the design, and leave some comments! I would love to hear what you think.  Also, if you haven't done so yet, I would really encourage you to join the mailing list on the site, which will give you the absolute best access to the latest strength research, training programs and insights on performance.

All the best,

Joel Smith, MS, CSCS

Harnessing the power of the kettlebell swing

If you are into vertical jump training, this recent article of mine is a MUST READ!  I spent a lot of time and effort on this one, and it is backed by some scientific references.  Check it out below

http://www.just-fly-sports.com/1/post/2012/07/eccentric-overloading-methods-for-jumpers-kettlebell-swings-part-i.html#.UBK9vrRQ6Ag

Enjoy!

Joel

Awesome Russian High Jump Training Mixtape!

I am very proud of a video I recently released, which is a compilation of some of the best training methods available for high jumpers, even though the video was taken from the 1980's.

A must watch if you are into jumping higher.

Russian High Jumping (the video is at the bottom of the page)

Share if you like it!

Regards,

Joel

New website design and inspirational video!

Dear readers,

You may be interested in our new website layout, with a constant stream of updates this summer.
www.just-fly-sports.com

We also recently released our first compilation/motivational video featuring world best performances in track and field up leading up to the 2012 London Olympic Games!

You can check that out HERE

Enjoy!

Joel

Validation of hip thrusts for sprint speed

Want to run a faster 40? 100m? 200m? 5k? You may be interested in my latest blog post on my experiences with training hip thrusts on track and field sprinters.

http://www.justflyperformance.blogspot.com/#!http://justflyperformance.blogspot.com/2012/05/real-world-validation-of-hip-thrusts.html

Joel

The effect of basketball on track jumps performance

If you are a track coach, or just interested in jumping higher in general, you may find the following post interesting!

http://www.justflyperformance.blogspot.com/#!http://justflyperformance.blogspot.com/2012/04/good-and-bad-of-basketball-season-for.html

All the best,

Joel

Stress and Performance

Coincidentally, I have been working on some material in my personal wellness class on stress management and also managed to see a great post by coach/therapist Patrick Ward in the same week. The result was a bit of an epiphany.. here is the new blog

http://www.justflyperformance.blogspot.com/#!http://justflyperformance.blogspot.com/2012/04/reduce-stress-build-power.html

Check out my new ebook also if you haven't gotten the chance:

http://www.just-fly-sports.com/free-ebook.html

Hope you are all having a wonderful week!

Joel

30 Commandments of Vertical Jump

Here is a link to my latest blog article, which I think is both funny and insightful (at least I would like to think!). Hope you find some enjoyment out of it.

http://justflyperformance.blogspot.com/2012/03/30-commandments-of-vertical-jump.html

Joel

PS.

If you haven't got it yet, I do have a free Ebook you can download here: http://www.just-fly-sports.com/free-ebook.html

Also, if you haven't done so, like our page on facebook so you can get instant updates: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Just-Fly-Sports-Performance/262678650421782

Free Ebook

Dear Reader,

If you haven't seen, I recently released a free ebook on single leg jump development, which you can view HERE: http://www.just-fly-sports.com/free-ebook.html

Hope you like it!

Joel

True Single Leg Training

Hi everyone! Check out the link to my new blog and recent post!

http://justflyperformance.blogspot.com/2012/03/true-single-leg-plyometrics.html

You will be happy you did!... If you are looking to jump higher off one leg.

P.S.

If you like these posts, and haven't done so yet, please subscribe to the RSS feed on my new blog and/or (preferably both...!) like us on our facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Just-Fly-Sports-Performance/262678650421782?sk=app_106171216118819

Have a great day! To your success!

Joel

Russian HJ Training

I just finished a great blog post on Russian high jump training on my new blog, www.justflyperformance.blogspot.com.

Check out my most recent post HERE http://www.justflyperformance.blogspot.com/2012/03/russian-high-jump-training-part-i.html

You won't be disappointed!

Joel Smith

Latest and Greatest

Below is a copy of my most recent blog article:

Subscribe to my RSS feed of my new blog if you like what you see!

www.justflyperformance.blogspot.com

Jump high, but run slow...why?

Jumping and sprinting are two qualities that any team sport athlete would like to be proficient in. They typically go hand in hand.... athletes that can jump high can also run fast. Look at any NFL combine and you will see the blazing 40yd times that accompany 40"+ standing vertical jumps. Running fast and jumping high are two activities that both require a good deal of explosive power. There are times, however, we will see an athlete who might have a great standing vertical, but is slow as dirt when it comes to the 100m dash. On the other hand, there are athletes who might have blazing speed, but just can't get off the ground. This area of thinking has always been interesting to me, as I am an athlete who has been able to jump very high, but my speed through the years has been lacking. Fortunately, I have realized, and combated many of the things that have made me slow... the things that I can change at least.

I was never a speed demon when I was in high school or middle school. I got completely dusted in the 200m dash when I ran it in 7th grade, I don't even want to know what my time was. On the other hand, I could jump pretty well, especially off of one leg... the way that I always practiced it. I could even touch the rim in 7th grade at the measly height of 5'7". I was pretty obsessed about jumping back then, and practiced jumping on a regular basis. I realized though, that as far as power goes, my speed was never quite up to par. Over the years, I have discovered what some aspects are that can allow for big verticals, and yet "snails" on the track. Well first off, I'll make a list of the most important things that go into having a big vertical jump.

Explosive power
High strength to bodyweight ratio
Specific coordination of jumping

And.... that's about it. It really isn't all that complicated... be strong in relation to your bodyweight, and practice the jumping movement until you have mastered the skill and are coordinated at it. It helps to have good genetics regarding explosive power as well, but this can be developed through things like plyometrics and the like.

OK, now let's talk about what goes into speed potential.

Fast twitch muscle ratio (you can jump high without a lot of FT fibers, but running fast will be a different story due to the short contacts required in high speed sprinting)
Long legs in relation to your body length (also helpful in jumping, but more important in sprinting)
Mobility (knots, tightness, and imbalances will hurt you more in sprinting than jumping)
Sprint coordination (this also happens to be more complex than jump coordination)
Hip dominant movements (being quad dominant can help you jump high, but you won't be fast)
Explosive power specifically in glutes and hamstrings
High strength to bodyweight ratio


So there you have it, reasons that you may be a good jumper but a poor sprinter. I feel that when it comes down to it, most peoples issues are the first two reasons I mentioned (FT ratio and long legs), which are unfortunately, ones that are genetic and cannot be changed. I know they are a big problem for me personally; I don't have very long legs, and my ground contact times in jumping are fairly high, indicating that my body operates slightly more on the slow twitch side of things. I am also a pretty good distance runner... not to mention neither of my parents are explosive athletes... so I conclude that I am not of the blessed fast twitch camp. Despite all this, I managed to jump 2.14m in high jump, yet I could never beat 4.12s in the electronic 30m when I was in college. I tested my 10m fly in graduate school, and found it to be only 1.06 seconds. For the sake of speed, I wish I knew back then what I know now!

Fortunately for those of us who don't have blazing speed, the final 5 reasons can be changed/fixed, and some of them to a big degree. Mobility can be improved through hurdle drills, coordination through sprint drills, hip dominant movements through strength exercises such as hip thrusts, explosive power through plyometrics, and strength to bodyweight ratio through the myriad of lifts that are available to athletes.

It is my goal to do some more writing on speed in the near future, and I hope that this particular blog will give you some thoughts on what might be holding you back in your own speed based endeavors. Until next time!