Ascending skater jumps are are a powerful drill for an athlete who’s working on lateral power and agility. Not only does it help you develop the foot work to get around any defender, but you also develop stability and strength through the lower limb. Try adding this drill into your next speed workout to see the results in your quick feet.
WHY DO A ASCENDING SKATER JUMPS?
Ascencing skater jumps not only build lower body speed, power, and quick feet – but also coordination and stability. By having to coordinate one lateral jump to the next hop, you’re building a responsive lower body that can attack the field from any angle.
They’re a bit different than regular skater jumps in both purpose and rhythm. Watch how to perform here. I recommend this movement to athletes of all skill levels, both younger and new athletes as well as with more advanced or elite. It’s important to always train with a focus on foundations so that you gain strength from a strong start.
How to do ascending skater jumps?
Begin facing laterally to whatever direction you’re traveling. Staying light on your feet, hop laterally as if you’re going “up and over” something. As soon as you land on the new foot, you’ll take a small step back to the original foot. Land and balance for a second. Then you can continue traveling in the same lateral path, going the same direction.
Avoid landing too heavy or staying too long in any position. The goal is to be light, quick, and fast on your feet so that you create this easy rhythm of footwork.
Programming
I recommend using ascending skater jumps just after your warm-up during the “speed portion” of your training session. You want to be feeling both warm yet energized for this work. It’s not the time to think of doing heavy grunt work or slowly lifting heavy weights, but rather staying responsive.
Train this drill anywhere from 2-3 times a week for 3 sets of 10 repetitions in each direction.
SPEED FOCUSED TRAINING
Looking to add a new level to your speed on the field or court? You’re in luck… my best-selling program Athletic Speed System is proven to get you results based off 10 years of training on top of the newest scientific research. We’ll target the 3 major pillars of speed development:
- Relative Force Production
- Acceleration Mechanics
- Maximum Velocity Mechanics
