rate of force development
That’s definitely some excellent information by Silverback. Scientifically speaking, that’s exactly right about the length of the achilles tendon and high calves not necessarily being a limiting factor in vertical jumping ability. The 2-legged jump does calls upon significant plyometric contribution but in comparison to a jump with a run-up and 1-legged takeoff the amortization phase (time spent on the ground between eccentric and concentric) is longer at around .2 of a second and gives one a lot more time to use voluntary force and apply their strength. The amortization phase of a running jump, like a high jump or long jump, is so short (around ~.1-.15 seconds) that involuntary reflexive action is dominant and one doesn’t have enough time to use much voluntary strength, so the natural spring like action is going to be dominant, which is largely influenced by things like the length of the achilles tendon.
There are plenty of power athletes like olympic lifters, throwers, and football players who can demonstrate ultra impressive vertical jumps from a virtual standstill but yet aren’t able to fly from the free throw line or win any high jump medals and vice versa, just because one can fly off a running start doesn’t mean they can do it from a standstill, because the strength qualities (short response reactivity vs longer response reactivity/Voluntary RFD) aren’t the same.
Obviously for sports performance one should concentrate on being able to apply max force very quickly. As for muscular contribution (quads vs posterior chain) I’ve looked at a lot of research on this and the quads do tend to contribute more then what is commonly thought. However, the posterior chain does tend to be the weak link in the majority and should be addressed accordingly. Also, people will tend to demonstrate muscular imbalances in their style of jump or when landing. For example, when initiating the countermovement if the hips and knees move well forward of the toes during the windup that can mean the athlete is over-relying on the quadriceps and getting little posterior chain involvement. He might still be able to jump well, but that can lay the groundwork for problems like jumpers knee and quadriceps tendonitis. The same type of thing can be observed when landing from a drop jump.
As for an optimal balance between strength, RFD, and reactivity it’s going to vary from person to person. Strength can obviously be evaluated in the weight room. The RFD to strength ratio can be evaluated by the ability to move heavy loads with good speed. If the speed a given % of a 1rm load can be moved is increasing then that’s good. If it’s not then RFD needs to be addressed rather then max strength. Reactivity can be assessed by the height of a depth jump. If one can’t increase their jump height when executing a depth jump from at least 12-18 inches (in comparison to an on the ground down and up version) that tends to show low reactive development and drop jumps/depth jumps etc. can be used as long as the athlete is not already overtraining that quality to begin with as many are prone to do simply by playing Reactive dominant sports very frequently. (basketball/volleyball etc.)
I also forgot to add to my post above, when evaluating strength it’s relative strength (strength per lb of bodyweight) that must be given priority but I think Silverback said that already.
Wow what a great thread. Information overload!
Excitingly looking forward to Coach H’s first article.
Had to go and test my vert straight away but now I feel like a slug with my 26"! Guess I’ll never be able to slam-dunk 
Kelly, you mentioned RFD on a given % of 1RM. Would this be good for assessing RFD in PL? Progress on DE days could be assessed by videoing the concentric effort from start to finish and timing it. (I box so I am conscious of keeping my RFD high while increasing max force).
Hey Creed,
Pay attention to RFD with both sub-maximal and maximal loads. There will come a point where strength increases will occur that are non-transferable to a quick speed movement. The more one is geared towards strength (think of a lineman) rather than speed the sooner this will occur whereas a naturally faster guy (defensive back) might never have to worry about this. Some guys who are speed dominant can do a westside style speed or reactive bench with 70% of their maximum. On the other side are often strong but slow guys who have to use around 50%. As for assessing speed of maximal loads, you might put 50 lbs on your max squat but if it goes from taking you 3 seconds to lift the weight up to 6 seconds then that’s not good.
Now, for your specific situation, what I would do is on the extreme speed end of things see how long it takes you to throw a given combination. For example you might see what kind’ve quality combination you can get off in a second. Have someone time you, record it, and use it as a barometer that you try to improve consistently.
Next, see how high you can do something like bench press throws with a given weight. You might start out with 15% 30% and 50% of your max and measure the distance thrown. Smith machines are great here. Note the weight used and from then on use that as an assessment tool, just keep the weights the same even as you gain strength.
Next, see how an increase in maximal strength affects both your speed of movement and your ability to increase the bench press throws. If you’re like a lot of boxers there will be a direct transfer. An increase in X amount of strength translates into an immediate increase in bench press throws. So in this situation there’s no real need to spend a lot of time doing submaximal RFD or upper body plyo drills etc. Just concentrate on getting strong.
There will be some in the other group though, who can increase maximal strength without a direct increase in RFD. For these people they would be better off doing power work like speed benches etc.
Sorry, I don’t know why I thought you said something about a boxer in your post I was in a hurry when I read through it the first time. 
Kelly,
Thank you for adding… and absolutely correct. Your understanding of assessment and application seems very sound… let’s get these white guys jumping higher…hehe.
Creed,
I am Lil’ Coach H. Big Coach H is a thunderous man who posts on Elite. (“he craps bigger than me”)
Respect is something that I give out very slowly… but but he has done some great work…simply great. Plus, he has done it within situations that are very difficult…college athletics. You would think that college S&C coaches would have the best ability to make changes… but that is not the case… they are far too busy, and far too underpaid to maximize their clients’ abilities… plus, time is limited severely. Imagine 500 athletes coming in and out every day… sounds great, but individualization is very, very difficult. Coach H has the ability to take westside principles, and apply them to various sports’ needs. Plus, his free article on his site is a must read for anyone training athletes… if you feel you can’t kick out $40 or so for the book… which is worth double that, IMO.
Therefore, he is Coach H, as he has advanced many athletes, and deserves respect.
I am Lil’ or Springy Coach H, as I do the same, but am a speed guy…
Kelly, great post…wrong thread…hehe.
No you read correctly! Thanks for the excellent advice.
I think I am lucky and fit into the naturally fast category but have noticed recently that on max lifts through sticking points I am having to grind out the attempt and the time to lockout has increased. So from your explanation I take it I should concentrate on speed and not try and increase my 1RM until I can move it with reasonable speed again?
Lil Coach H my bad!
(And BTW sorry for hijackin this thread)
Kelly, fantastic addition to the thread. Would Arculeta, for ex., have a problem/challenge converting absolute strength into speed? Because, as I understand it, he trained mostly using lighter weight and very fast concentric contractions. Also, is the high resistance that Schroeder forced Adam to use at extension, a valuable piece of the exercise? IOW, he pushed on the bar to keep it on Adam’s chest at the outset of the bench for about 10 sec. Then Adam benched 5 times real fast.
Last, is Big H the coach at ASU? Thanks, lil H.
Scipio…
Adam (I have heard)also did sets with a near max load…plus, as you said, he used many different forms of iso-ballistics, which has periods of maximal tension… Adam also did various forms of upper body plyos… ie. catching the weight as it falls and exploding it back upward.
I find that without the fancy equipment, you can either use a smith machine, or I use explosive push-ups with a weighed vest…depending on the development of the athlete. I have insurance, but it just takes one athlete to miss the catch and crush his throat…
Trust me, Adam had very little problem converting strength to force… most all of Jay’s training that I have read about involves RFD.
and yes to your last question…
Lil’ Coach H
CSCS
Thanks for all the advice guys this helped me a ton. 1 point where im confused on vertical jump training is which type of periodization works well for jumping higher?
Creed,
The thing is if you’re a powerlifter being able to strain through the sticking point for a long time can be a valuable thing because there is no time limit required. Compare this to the speed guy who misses the lift as soon as he reaches a sticking point. So, if that’s the case and your lifts are going up I wouldn’t worry about it.
However, when doing something like the vertical jump you only have about .2 seconds to apply max force so the duration you can strain for is irrelevant and can be a weakness if over-developed.
Regarding Archuleta, of course he has naturally excellent RDF to strength ratios to begin with - But even so he more than doubled his strength in movements like the bench and squat while still increasing the speed at which he completed those lifts - so that shows a proper balance.
And the reason for performing isometric + dynamic reps is the isometric hold will boost the working effect of subsequent dynamic work. Fires up the nervous and muscular system so to speak. Check out Alessi’s Reactive strength article here for some ideas on how to use that to increase maximal strength.
Thanks, SBack and Kelly, great research. Appreciate the advanced training material and thought. I thought I knew alot…but you guys have cognitive invincibility on the subject. (well, almost).
6foot6balla,
Regarding periodization it should follow the approach of any other sport and be a focus during the offseason and maintained during the inseason. Playing basketball during the season is by far more then enough specific jump training so the focus should be on maintaining strength. The offseason is the time for specialization.
Had a question re: Sivlerback’s response of the stretch reflex and jumping on the move:
“a high achilles is good, but not critical. A high achilles is more important if you are jumping on the move, because the stretch reflex plays a far more critical role. During a vertical test, you try to invoke the stretch reflex by having a fast decent, but it nowhere near matches the forces on your achilles and calf region during a triple jump or lay-up type jump”
Now, how do you improve the stretch reflex? In basketball, you need to be able to jump on the move and you don’t have the time to get set like you do in a standing vert test. Any suggestions?
Trench