It’s days like this where I can’t help but wonder why in the heck I live in the Northeast. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m originally from Central NY – the lake effect snow capital of the world – so I’m used to a lot of snow. But this is just getting borderline redunkulous.
As it stands now, we’ve gotten 50-60 inches of snow in the past 30 days, with anywhere from 12-16 apparently on its way in the next 48 hours. Ahhhhhhhh.
To that end, with the impending weather on the way, I’m heading to the facility a little earlier than usual – so today is going to be short and sweet, unfortunately.
It’s been a while since I’ve showcased an exercise you should be doing, so I figured what better day than today.
What Is It: Band Resisted Broad Jump
What Does It Do: Much like the vertical jump, the broad jump starts from a standing position and essentially tests how far an individual can jump. Tangentially, it’s arguably the best standardized test for pure power, and it’s relatively idiot proof to perform.
That said, if you’re like me and have knees that hate you, the broad jump can be unrelenting. As such, adding the band – while not something I would do with pure beginners – helps to decelerate the body, which tends to be much more joint friendly in the long run.
Key Coaching Cues: Take a regular light or average band and wrap it around a peg or pole that’s waist height. Placing the band around your waist, assume an athletic position (chest out, knees slightly bent, feet hips width apart), throw your hands down as quickly as you can and leap forward. Be careful when you land, however, because the band will immediately pull back – STICK the landing!
Equally as important, you should still land in an athletic position as well. What I like to tell people is that “you should land how you start.” So, if you start with chest high, knees slightly bent, shoulders back, etc. You should land with your chest high, knees bent, shoulders back, shirt off, etc. Capiche?
And that’s about it. Try it out today, and let me know what you think..
