Test yourself: jump height

What it trains

The countermovement jump: how high you jump straight up from a quick dip, hands on hips, measured with a jump mat or a phone app that works out height from slow-motion video. It is optional: skip it if you have neither.

Set up

• A jump mat
• Or phone + jump app
• An adult watching
• App: 1.5 m, side-on

How it works

1. Warm up fully first, every time: the FIFA 11+ Kids warm-up if you are 13 or under, FIFA 11+ from 14 (episode 2 shows it), or your club warm-up. Then 2 or 3 practice jumps.
2. You need a jump mat, or a phone app that works out jump height from slow-motion video. If you have neither, skip this test: it is optional.
3. With an app: jump on flat grass or a gym mat (never a rug on a smooth floor) with clear space above your head. Prop the phone upright at floor level 1.5 m away, side-on, so it sees your feet, and follow the app's own set-up guide. (From 1.5 m, My Jump 2 agreed closely with lab equipment in 11 to 14 year olds.)
4. Keep your hands on your hips throughout. Stand tall, dip quickly to a comfortable depth and jump straight up as high as you can. Land on both feet in the same place, with your legs straight in the air.
5. Jump 3 times with about a minute of rest. Record the highest, in centimetres.
6. Keep using the same mat or app: mats and apps work out height from time in the air, and different devices can give different numbers. Your first result is your baseline: what matters is how it changes.

Coaching points

1. Jump straight up. Stand tall with your hands on your hips, dip quickly to a comfortable depth, then jump straight up as high as you can, as if pushing the ground away.
2. Land in the same place. Land on both feet in the same place, with your legs straight in the air, then let your knees bend to soften the landing. Mats and apps work out height from your time in the air, so land the way you took off. Staying on the spot also keeps you in the phone's view.

Not this

Swinging your arms. Arm swing adds height, so a jump with it cannot be compared with one without it. Keep your hands on your hips for every jump.

Dose

• 3 jumps, about 1 min rest
• Record the highest (cm)

Our target: Test on day 0 and again at day 90 with the same mat or app (the Football Reach plan's check-in, not an FA rule).

Harder / Easier

Safety

• Test safely: warm up fully first, with an adult there (under 18), on a flat, non-slip surface, never a road or pavement. Do the bleep test last or on another day, and do not test while injured or in pain.
• Land on grass, a gym mat or a jump mat. Never jump on a rug on a laminate or other smooth floor. Check the space above and around you first: no low ceiling, light fitting or beam, and nothing to hit.
• Under 16: if your knees or heels hurt when you run or jump, stop and tell an adult. Knee and heel pain is common while you are growing, and a GP or physio can help. 16 and over: stop rather than train through pain, and get it checked by a GP or physio.

Sources

• Football Reach - how the measured tests work (countermovement jump) (opens in a new tab)
• PMC - Bogataj 2020, My Jump 2 in ages 11-14 (opens in a new tab)
• PubMed - My Jump meta-analysis, 21 studies (opens in a new tab)
• PubMed - arm swing and jump height (opens in a new tab)
• PubMed - highest vs average jump (opens in a new tab)
• PubMed - Vertec vs My Jump (devices differ) (opens in a new tab)
• JSCR (copy) - Pauole 2000, test order (opens in a new tab)
• The FA Boot Room - the physical corner (opens in a new tab)