Vertical jump: power, measured in centimetres

What it measures

The vertical jump measures explosive lower-body power — how much force your legs can produce in the fraction of a second a jump allows. Power is distinct from strength (how much you can lift, given time) and from endurance; it's the quality behind the first sprint step, the leap for a header, the change of direction that loses a defender.

The protocols

• Countermovement jump (CMJ): stand, dip quickly, and jump — hands on hips in the strict version. The standard research protocol.
• Reach-and-jump (Sargent): mark your standing reach against a wall, then jump and mark the highest touch. Your score is the difference — the classic gym-hall method, and the easiest to do at home.
• Force plates and jump mats: what the pros stand on. Same movement, more decimals.

How the pros use it

Clubs test jumps year-round, and not just to grade explosiveness. Because a jump is neurologically demanding but physically brief, a dip in CMJ height is one of the cleanest early-warning signals of accumulated fatigue — many squads jump players weekly and adjust training loads when the numbers sag. Typical values: recreational men around 40–50 cm, elite footballers 55–65+, elite jumpers beyond 70.

Test yourself reliably

1. Use the reach-and-jump: chalk on fingertips, mark standing reach, three maximal attempts, best one counts.
2. Standardize everything — same time of day, same warm-up (5 minutes easy movement plus a few submaximal jumps), same shoes, same wall.
3. Rest a full minute between attempts; power fades fast and tired attempts poison the data.
4. Re-test every 4–8 weeks. A rising jump means your power training is landing; a sudden drop on a normal week is your body asking for rest.

One test left in the series: pure speed — the linear sprint.