Adarq.org

I have analyzed my jumps/bounds/2-leg bounds frame by frame yesterday and discovered a few things:

1) I don't get "deep enough" on my two-leg bounds so I think I put mostly quad in them (since I bend at a 1/4 squat position); I need to focus on getting deeper.

2) I don't completely hip hyperextend... I use just a short burst of hip extension and then stop it. If Bret Contreras was right, pulling the heels at my butt (flexing the knee) improves your ability to hip hyperextend by 5%, so that's interesting. I need to work on both more, hip hyperextension and heel-under butt pull and then leg extension forward to land further;

3) I don't use my arms like I could/should. I need to extend them and use the momentum they create.

Yeah steven-miller suggested contracting the abs more on TVS... so I probably have sucky abs... they are whack actually.

I did today a handful of sets of two-leg bounds (consecutive broad jumps) and I noticed my lower back was "full of blood" or had "the pump" while doing them... which makes me think I might be using the lower back as the primary hip extensor for some reason.

Any ideas? Is that normal (the feeling)?

Well I did those in the past...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMEH2u0N-lY

But for 20 seconds... more of yielding isometrics. I have no idea if they did anything. Maybe they improve the "isometric" control so to speak... make you more aware of how much can you tense isometrically. That could have a carryover in a one-leg jump where you contract isometrically your jumping leg to plant.

Yeah, I have only myself to blame. The funny thing is that I don't really enjoy eating... I find it a snobism, a thing that rich people do (talk about eating) to make them look "cool" and to show they are rich etc. In fact, I hate pretty much everything about food in general... one things that you must never do if you meet me (and I mean that) is try to make me eat something you want me to eat... that's basically a red flag from me and I feel like killing you (I think my blood pressure rises to extreme levels). So, you know...

So judging by this ^^^ it should be "easier" to lose fat. I'm probably just not disciplined enough to do interval runs etc, but I'll see what I can do from today on. I plan on alternating 2-leg bounds with sprints (in the same set), so I see what happens.

A few vids from yesterday, notice the differences in the gather with the mini ball and the size 5 ball:

One leg dunk with size 5 ball: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-Sbr7Q7wzc

One-leg dunk from the side: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4x38vKZR6NY

Silly pirouette dunk mini-ball: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-sX7X-lGTo

Silly pirouette dunk size 5 ball: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylJiEKJsII8

Two-footed dunk with mini-ball RL plant: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SS1cemQ6I8I

Two-footed dunk with mini-ball LR plant: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ykADt4v1jA

Two-footed dunk with size 5 ball: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prLmEfDEZPM (note the difference in the arm swings with a bigger ball, the speed difference, the amount of compression occuring in the plant etc)

Standing vert mini-ball dunk from the side: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jClyR8gxAE

In my opinion, and it seems that I'm alone in this - if you're a one-leg jumper you can get away without having too much posterior chain strength if you have great quad strength. If you are able to transform the horizontal movement into a vertical movement, and that's done with the help of the quads, then you can use a long run-up in which you build up speed (and therefore you have initial force) and then just switch it vertically.

If you run fast towards the plant point and are able not to collapse at the knee, I don't think you need that much posterior chain strength to jump very high.