Don’t Discount Mobility Training

Mobility training is often overlooked in its benefits to athletes, and vertical jumping is one area where it can help to increase performance. There is a large range of mobility training exercises, and determining which one applies to each individual athlete is challenging. Whereas flexibility training is oriented towards better movement of the joints and surrounding muscles, mobility training targets moving the body as effectively as possible.

Movement is sometimes improved with stretching, but at times, mobility limitations are the result of the central nervous system. Some things to keep in mind with mobility training are to keep good posture, never work within a range of movement where there is pain, go slow in the beginning, quality is more important than quantity, and don’t try to push through the movements, do them without tension in the muscles.

Some of the more popular mobility training exercises include the Scorpion, for the hip joint and thoracic spine. The hip can become tight from sitting and running and this area should be loose to allow full extension for jumping. Doing lumbar circles is excellent for increasing performance and relieving lower back pain. Doing the thoracic anterior/posterior slide helps the restrictions of the thoracic area. Doing comprehensive hip circles is a must for maximum mobility. And last, doing foot rolls, usually overlooked by athletes and coaches, increases mobility of the foot, resulting in better movement for jumps.