Single-Leg Vertical Jump

Setup

Stand on one leg, free leg bent and held off the ground, near a wall or measuring device if testing.

Execution

1. 1Load into a shallow single-leg quarter squat
2. 2Drive the free leg's knee up and swing arms hard
3. 3Extend the stance leg fully at takeoff
4. 4Reach at peak height if testing
5. 5Land on the same leg (or safely on two) with control

Key cues

• Small controlled dip, not a deep squat
• Drive the free knee and arms together
• Full extension of the stance leg
• Land balanced

Common faults

• Excessive knee valgus on takeoff or landing
• Too deep a countermovement causing instability
• Ignoring left-right height differences
• Landing on two feet every time (defeats the unilateral test purpose)

Tweaks

• Compare heights left vs. right for asymmetry tracking
• Progress from single-leg vertical jump to single-leg box jump
• Add resisted band variant for overload

Muscles

Notes

Primary energy system: alactic. Often used in return-to-sport testing after lower-body injury to confirm symmetric power output.

Sources

• NSCA Plyometric Programming Guidelines - CSCS Chapter 18
• Cal Dietz Triphasic Training methodology

Attribution: NSCA / Cal Dietz