Sadie's vertical and conditioning plan · middle blocker

Hang Time

Hey Sadie. This is your plan to jump higher and move better at the net, in two short sessions a week. Vertical day trains straight-up jumping and leg strength. Block day trains the jumps you use at the net, then adds some conditioning. Every jump is a max-effort rep with a full rest, because speed is what builds explosiveness. All you need is a wall, a floor and one low step like a bottom stair. Do the wall reach test below first so you know your starting number, then press Start and the page walks you through it.

Your starting number

Wall reach test

Do this before your first session, then again every three or four weeks. It takes about ten minutes. A friend can help read the marks.

  1. Warm up first. Run through the warm-up from either session so you are not testing cold.
  2. Mark your standing reach. Chalk your fingertips. Stand sideways to a wall with your feet flat and reach up with the closest arm as high as you can. Leave a mark, then measure its height from the floor with a tape measure.
  3. Jump and touch. Stand about a foot from the wall. Swing your arms and jump as high as you can, touching the wall at the top of the jump. Take three tries with a full minute of rest between them.
  4. Measure your best touch. Find the highest chalk mark and measure its height from the floor.
  5. Log it. Your vertical is your best touch minus your standing reach. Add the numbers on the right and the page does the math.

Keep it fair: the same wall, the same shoes and the same time of day each time, and not the day after a hard session. For a second number that matches match play, repeat the test with a two or three step approach and log it as its own test.

Your tests

Saved on this phone or browser only. If you switch devices, your list will not come with you, so jot down your numbers too.

When the first level feels easy

Level up

Move a jump or lift up a level when every set felt fast, your landings stayed quiet and nothing was sore, two sessions in a row. Most moves need three or four weeks at a level. Every fourth week, drop one set from everything to recover. Stay at Level 1 for the first two weeks and focus on quiet landings.

Jump when fresh

Do your sessions on days without a hard practice, and leave a day between the two. Jump quality drops when you are tired, so end a set early if your jumps get lower.

Land quietly

A soft, quiet landing is the whole point of the drop drill. Land on both feet with knees soft and pointing the same way as your toes. Never let them cave inward.

Club comes first

Once club starts, your coach's plan is the priority. Treat these as extras, and skip or shorten one in a heavy week. A coach or trainer can also check your jump form.

Track it

Every three or four weeks, chalk your fingertips, stand tall beside a wall and mark your reach. Then jump and touch as high as you can. The gap is your vertical, and it takes weeks to move. Stop any move that causes sharp pain.