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By Micah Kurtz, MS, CSCS, RSCC*D, USAW, FMS

As mentioned in my first Fitness Friday article, an athlete must be able to produce power in order to jump high and run fast. Power is the product of force times velocity. The velocity portion can also be referred to as rate of force development. To be powerful, the goal is to produce a lot of force quickly.

The high pull involves triple extension of the hips, knees, and ankles. This explosive move will train rate of force development, and the goal is for it to help the athlete run faster and jump higher. Basketball players always want to know how they can increase their vertical or get their bounce up, and it’s actually pretty simple. It’s just a matter of physics and hard work!

If you want to increase your vertical then increase your force output (strength) and your rate of force development. The high pull is a great exercise to improve your rate of force development.

The Cues for the High Pull are:

Starting Position:

1. The feet should be about hip width apart.
2. The knees should be slightly flexed.
3. The shoulders should be pulled back, and the chest should be up.

The Descent:

4. The barbell should be lowered by hinging at the hips.
5. The bar should remain in contact with the thighs as it descends.
6. The shoulders should remain pulled back, and the back should be flat.
7. The bar should be lowered to just below the knee.

The Pull:

8. The pull should begin by first extending at the hips and then extending the knees and ankles. This is referred to as triple extension.
9. After beginning to extend at the hips, the athlete should shrug and then pull the barbell as he or she explosively extend into triple extension.
10. The barbell should remain close to the body during the entire lift.

Reset:

11. The athlete should reset after each repetition.
12. Focus on moving the bar fast and explosively.

Be sure to check back next week as I head to the historic Turner Gymnasium weight room to film with Oak Hill associate head coach Bryan Meagher for my final installment of FloHoops Fitness Friday!

Micah Kurtz, MS, CSCS, RSCC*D, USAW, FMS, NASE, is in his eighth year as Director of Strength and Conditioning at AC Flora High School in Columbia, S.C., which was won 14 state championships in the past five years, including the 2016 boys’ basketball state championship. He also serves as Strength and Conditioning Consultant Coach to nine-time high school basketball national champion Oak Hill Academy, which won the Dick’s High School National Basketball Tournament in 2016. Kurtz was named the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year in 2016. He was also named the South Carolina High School Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year in both 2013 and 2014 and is part of the NSCA’s Subject Matter Expert Committee. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram @KurtzM3 or visit his website at: www.TheAthleteMaker.com.