Rocket Jump

Crouch like a bear about to pounce, then blast off like a fuzzy rocket. Rocket Jumps build springy legs and a strong heart, but land like you are sneaking past a sleeping ranger: quiet, soft, and controlled. Reset your squat each rep and keep your knees tracking over your toes.

Instructions

1. Stand with feet about shoulder-width apart, chest up, and core braced.
2. Sit back into a quarter-to-half squat with arms behind you to load.
3. Drive through midfoot and heel, swing arms up, and jump straight up explosively.
4. Land softly on the balls of your feet, then let heels kiss down as you absorb into a squat.
5. Stabilize, reset your posture, and repeat for the desired reps.

Benefits

• Improves lower-body power and explosiveness
• Builds plyometric capacity and reactive strength
• Elevates heart rate for conditioning and calorie burn
• Reinforces athletic landing mechanics and deceleration control
• Trains coordination and full-body stiffness on takeoff and landing

Key Points

• Land quietly and absorb the impact by bending hips, knees, and ankles.
• Keep knees tracking in line with toes; avoid collapsing inward.
• Jump vertically with full hip extension; do not over-lean forward.
• Maintain a braced core and neutral spine throughout.
• Stop the set if jump height drops or landings get noisy or unstable.

Common Mistakes

• Letting knees cave inward on takeoff or landing
• Landing stiff-legged with minimal knee and hip bend
• Rounding the lower back in the squat dip
• Jumping forward excessively instead of mostly vertical
• Rushing reps without resetting balance and posture
• Taking off or landing on toes only without controlled heel drop