Let's start with what to avoid...
The ever-dreaded ‘2 step:’ This is when you jump down from the box and take a mini step back, then a mini step forward before you jump back onto the box. If you find yourself in this category, then try this drill: Stand on top of the box to begin your box jump. Jump down, bound back up and reset at the top. Often, the ‘2 step’ person just needs to reset before their next jump and doing so on top of the box will help them avoid the 2 step.
Falling forward. When doing box jumps, avoid letting your chest fall forward. Inevitably, when your chest falls forward, you will throw off your center of balance and lose balance either coming down or on your next rep. If you find that this happens to you often, practice this drill: Instead of looking down at the box, keep your eyes gazing forward. You will still be able to see the box through your peripheral vision and you will be able to better maintain an upright chest. If this is nerve-wracking to you, then lower the height of the box for practice.
The stomper. Oh yes, I can hear you a mile away. Your inov8 shoes, the lightest shoe ever, can make a crazy loud stomping noise when you slam your feet onto the box. This repeated stomping will deplete your energy quickly and the desired fast pace won’t be maintained throughout the workout. Here is what you can do if you are a stomper: Practice bringing your knees up instead of slamming your feet down onto the box. Land lightly on the box, resembling the grace of a ninja.
With these fixes, let’s get into the ‘how to’ for creating bounding box jumps:
1. Turn the box so that it is at an angle and you are jumping with the corner between your legs. This provides a greater surface area for the jump.
2. Jump onto the box, keeping your chest up and landing lightly on top.
3. Land on your toes (if you don’t mind your calves getting crazy tight) and quickly rebound.
4. Open your hips in mid air, making sure you jumped up instead of back (sending you 2 inches away from the box instead of 2 feet, which is not desired).
5. Land softly on the ground, quickly bounding back up again. DO NOT TAKE TIME TO RESET. Let’s go back to step 4. If you jump too far back then you will need to reset when you land. Instead, jump slightly back so that you are barely clearing the box. This way you are in a position to bound back up from the ground.
6. Try to land in the same spot on the ground every time (you can put markers here if you would like).
7. Use your arms to create a rhythm. Pump them forward as you jump up and bring them back as you jump down.
8. Repeat for prescribed amount of reps.
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