Knee Tuck Jump

advanced · jump

Setup

Stand comfortably with your knees slightly bent, hands out in front at chest height, palms down, fingertips touching. Pick wood, a mat or rubber flooring with some give and wear cushioned shoes rather than jumping on concrete. Leave clear space above you and around you, because this jump gets high.

Execution

Quickly dip down into a quarter squat, then immediately explode straight up.
Drive both knees up high toward your chest while airborne.
Lightly tap your knees against the hands waiting at chest height.
Extend the legs back out and land softly on the whole foot, knees slightly bent to absorb the impact.
Go straight into the next jump if doing continuous reps, or stand and reset if doing single reps.
Do 4-6 reps a set with 2 minutes of rest; when the knees stop reaching your hands or a landing thuds, end the set rather than chasing the count.

Breathing

Exhale as you jump, inhale as you land and reset. Do not hold your breath between consecutive jumps.

Quick cues

Knees drive high toward the chest.
Land soft on the whole foot.
Slight knee bend absorbs the landing.
Stop once landings stop being soft.

Common faults

Fault: Landing with stiff, locked legs
Fix: Keep a slight bend ready in the knees to absorb the impact right on contact.
Fault: The knees caving inward on landing
Fix: Lower the jump height and focus on driving the knees outward in line with the toes.
Fault: Hunching the torso forward trying to pull the knees higher
Fix: Keep the chest open and only pull the knees as high as the torso can stay upright.
Fault: Continuing to jump even after fatigue makes the landings heavy
Fix: Stop the set as soon as the landings stop being soft.

Equipment

bodyweight

Muscle groups

legs, calves, glutes