PLYOMETRICS
Depth Jump Technique: The Complete Guide
Box height, step-off vs jump-off, contact time, rebound direction and the common errors that turn depth jumps from a power tool into a injury risk.
The depth jump is the gold-standard jump exercise — and the most commonly botched. It trains the stretch-shortening cycle harder than almost anything else, but only when executed with short ground contact and a fast, vertical rebound.
Here is the full checklist, from whether you are ready to how to fix the most common faults.
Are you ready?
The NSCA entry criteria exist because depth jumps load the body with impact forces that demand a strength base:
- Squat at least 1.5x bodyweight — enough strength to absorb impact.
- No acute lower-limb injury history, especially Achilles, patellar or ACL.
- At least 3 months of systematic strength training.
- Ability to perform a quality depth drop from 30 cm with a stable, quiet landing.
Step off — don't jump off
The most common mistake is jumping off the box. Jumping off pre-activates the muscles, short-circuits the drop and weakens the SSC stimulus. Step off, fall, land, rebound.
Contact time is the score
Start from a 30–45 cm box and use the test criterion: contact under 0.25 seconds and rebound over 25 cm. If contact time stretches past 0.3 seconds, the box is too high and you are doing a jump-down-then-jump-up, not a depth jump. Shorten the box before adding load.
Rebound straight up
Land on both feet with stiff ankles — no soft feet — and rebound as if the floor is red-hot. The takeoff direction is straight up, not forward. Landing posture is takeoff posture: chest tall, hips stacked, knees tracking over toes.
Common errors and fixes
Watch for these three faults in every session:
- Box too high → contact over 0.3s → lower the box.
- Loud landings → poor eccentric control → regress to depth drops and landing practice.
- Forward takeoff → leaked force → shorten the rebound target to straight up.
Key takeaways
- Only start depth jumps with the strength base and injury history to support them.
- Step off the box; never jump off.
- Contact under 0.25s and rebound over 25 cm from a 30–45 cm box is the quality target.
- Lower the box whenever contact time degrades.
References
- NSCA Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning (4th ed.), Ch. 18
- Verkhoshansky & Siff (2009) Supertraining, Ch. 6
Keep reading
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Training frequency by experience level, safe plyometric contact volume, and the warning signs that tell you to cut back.
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A plateau means the body has adapted to the current stimulus. Diagnose the weak link, change the variables, deload and fix recovery.