In volleyball, just as in other sports such as basketball or soccer, the ability to jump high, understood as explosive strength and elevation, is one of the main characteristics a player must have to make a difference on the court.
The vertical jump is required in almost all the main actions of the game: from the jump shot (both float and spin) to the dunk in the offensive phase, passing through a good wall in the defensive phase, and a good maneuver to develop and speed up the action.
We can say without a shadow of a doubt that for a volleyball player jumping is a real habit that must be constantly trained and, consequently, improved.
The top heights for attacking players are practically over 11 feet (340 cm), and at the World Championships, the highest is around 12 feet (380cm). It is claimed that the best have reached over 390.
To be precise, while watching a volleyball match, we witness not only vertical jumps but different types such as long jumps or one-legged jumps.
In each case, the jump aims to gain an advantage over one’s opponent by stealing time from him or acquiring a space or position faster, overtaking or containing him.
Without further ado, let’s dive into the content!
How High Do Volleyball Players Jump?
The common questions among volleyball players are always: How much does Zaytsev jump? How high does Kaziyski attack? Who is the player who jumps the most?
Below are some of the best jumpers ever in the world of volleyball.
The list is led by Matey Kaziyski, who was able to hit the ball at the height of 12.79 feet (390 cm).
Robertlandy Simon, in the course of jumping tests conducted in training, reached 12.66 feet (386 cm), repeating himself, in his second attempt, at 384 cm, although his personal best is recorded at 3.89 meters.
The best Italian jumper is Osmany Juantorena, who comes in at 370 cm, followed by Ivan Zaytsev, who reached 368 cm, the same height reached by Luigi Mastrangelo when he played.
In third place is Leo Marshall, who, according to FIVB rankings, jumps as high as 12.56 feet (383 cm).
Dmitry Muserskiy, a 2.18-meter-tall Russian center, reached the height of 11.45 feet (349 cm).
Klemen Cebulij managed to enter the top 20 of the overall high jump ranking by reaching a height of 364 cm, then repeated at 367 cm.
Other players with a very good personal best are Luis Sosa Sierra at 369 cm, which became 374 on his second attempt, and Srecko Lisinac at 367 cm.
For women, on the other hand, one of the best-known Italian champions is Paola Egonu, who, even at the age of 19, was considered one of the greatest talents in world volleyball. At 189 cm tall, Egonu reaches a vertical elevation of 344 cm.
How Do We Know How Much Players Jump?
At the World Volleyball Championships, printed lists of teams and players are distributed to the media.
In addition to the usual information (name, date of birth, place of play, club, height, weight), there are two exciting columns: impact and tackling.
For example, the largest reported impact dimensions for the Finnish team are between 11.5 and 11.8 feet (350 – 360 centimeters). Similarly, the maximum defensive heights are around 10.8 feet (330 cm).
These figures have been thoroughly tested, but it doesn’t mean countries will report them correctly. The dimensions declared by teams in tournaments are rarely very accurate.
All teams use that measurement from time to time. They measure in the camps how high players can get up.
It makes a huge difference when they sometimes hit the ball from a foot and a half (half a meter) higher than the others.
The impact dimension is measured by jumping and reaching one hand as high as possible. Nowadays, lasers are also used to measure the impact.
Impact dimensions are about 7 inches (20 cm) smaller because they are measured with two hands and at a slower speed.
If there is no disturbance, the best players will hit the ball very high, but rarely is the situation completely undisturbed in a game.
In addition to a player’s height and power of effort, the reach height is also influenced by how long his arms are.
This is influenced by the height at which you can reach when standing. Players are unequal in that respect. For example, Elviss Krastins [6’3”] has a lower starting height than Tommi Siirilä [6’8”].
Varsinaire effort height, the distance a player’s center of gravity rises, is now used more as a test to monitor a player’s development and performance.
The most comparable are static and pre-stretched jumps, where you take everything else out and see what comes out of the legs.
Similar bounce tests are used in ski jumping, for example.
Running or Standing Vertical Jump?
Needless to say, nobody likes jumping from a standing position.
In fact, jumping from a static position does not allow you to acquire the explosive strength needed to perform well.
That is why all players always try to have enough space to move at least a small step, which serves, in addition to increasing one’s strength and elevation, to better coordinate.
Every athlete has movements that are more pleasant to his or her physical characteristics: some prepare for the jump by bringing one foot slightly more forward than the other, some start with their legs more or less apart, and some bend their knees.
The fact remains that all the greatest champions take a good run-up before taking a swing that can reach impressive speeds or dunk with incredible force.
This shift, usually by a few steps, can greatly increase their effectiveness.
The best players hit the ball from a height of almost 13 feet (4 meters)! Reach height is influenced by a player’s height and effort and how long his arms are.
When an NBA player dunks the ball down through a 10 feet high hoop in the NBA league, the top edge of the ball spins somewhere around 11 feet. The world’s best volleyball players hit the ball over the net from the same height – or even higher.
The soccer goalkeeper gets some perspective on this if he perceives the players operating almost 5 feet higher than the top of the goal bar at 8 feet.
Lenght and Skill – Equally Important as Jumping in Volleyball
On average, volleyball players are quite lengthy. It’s a sport for people with long hands.
You can compensate for length with effort but also with stroke technique. Of course – the length impacts how high you’ll shoot from (along with a vertical jump).
Besides long hands, the height of the shot can also be affected if you have stiff shoulders. Then you can’t reach as high. You’d have to hit a little crooked, and then you can make technical mistakes.
Volleyball is also very much a sport of skill. You can compensate for, let’s say, agility with lots of skill.
Here you can take the example of a player he considers one of the best in the world, the 6’3” all-rounder Michał Kubiak from Poland. If you look at naturally gifted players from Cuba, they do the same thing all the time, to put it in a nutshell. Kubiak has a million different solutions.
He can hit the opponent’s tackle so that it returns to his own team, which gives another better attacking position. Sometimes he peeps between the goalie. That’s what that skill is all about
