Here are some simple exercises and tips for increasing your vertical leap. It is NOT a complete program for athletes. Even those athletes who need great jumping ability will have to engage in conditioning, sport specific skill training, speed training and even other exercises in the weight room.

These tips help you to increase your vertical jump, but if you are an athlete, don't fall into the trap of believing that this program is the only one you need! Instead, look for other programs that will be specifically designed for your sport. TheVerticalProject is one of the best programs out there for increasing vertical leap. If you are looking for a good review of this program. Then you can follow the following link - TheVerticalProject.Those programs will also improve your vertical jump, but will also give you the tools you need to achieve athletic excellence! The developer of this program is Luke Lowrey. He has made quite a name for him in this area. There are a lot of people who regard him as a guru in this field. More information about him here - Luke Lowrey.

Some simple useful exercises to improve jumping:

Mini hops: jump a little off the ground, over and over without hopping. Jump rope for its excellent cardiovascular conditioning. This step should never be skipped, as it will be an important contributor to your results.

Squats - these help to stretch and strengthen at the same time.

Calf raises - these are a major work out. They don't seem too hard, but if done thoroughly, they can make you unable to walk for a hour or two.

Walk or run on tip toes for 20 minutes, then backwards for 3 minutes.

Stand in 1 spot on tip toes for 2 minutes.

Start stretching at least 3 times a day, working mostly on the hamstrings, quads, hip-flexors and glutes and calves.

Sprint. This builds muscle, which will add to your jumping ability.

Some other useful tips are:

Begin every workout by warming up your muscles and then doing extensive leg stretches. Because you'll be building muscle fibers that are used for explosive activities such as jumping, stretching is of the utmost importance.

Rest your legs at least two days a week. Results will come from sustaining the exercise program, not performing it aggressively for a few weeks and then slacking off. Muscles require atleast 48 hours of rest to rebuild broken down muscle fibers after long workouts. You'll notice that your calf muscles will get bigger on the days that you rest! Without proper rest, muscles will become immune to your physical routine, and may not increase in mass or strength.