Flight Time Vertical Jump Calculator
Turn hang time into jump height, takeoff speed, peak power, and touch height, then compare the result against your sport and test style.
📌Presets
Each preset loads a believable athlete profile and refreshes the formulas before you calculate.
⚙Jump Inputs
Flight-time jump snapshot
Enter flight time, mass, and reach to estimate jump height, touch height, and power.
📊Jump Metrics
📑Reference Tables
| Focus | Solid | Strong | Elite |
|---|---|---|---|
| General | 25-39 cm | 40-54 cm | 55+ cm |
| Basketball | 30-44 cm | 45-59 cm | 60+ cm |
| Volleyball | 32-46 cm | 47-61 cm | 62+ cm |
| Sprint | 28-42 cm | 43-57 cm | 58+ cm |
| Flight | Jump | Speed | Read |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.35 s | 15 cm | 1.7 m/s | Quick |
| 0.45 s | 25 cm | 2.2 m/s | Solid |
| 0.55 s | 37 cm | 2.7 m/s | Strong |
| 0.65 s | 52 cm | 3.2 m/s | Elite |
| Formula | Input | Output | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| g t^2 / 8 | Flight t | Jump ht | Main |
| g t / 2 | Flight t | Takeoff | Speed |
| Sayers | Jump+mass | Peak W | Power |
| Reach + h | Reach+ht | Touch | Reach |
| Method | Bias | Best fit | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mat | Low | Best | Lab-like |
| Video | Tiny | Good | Use frames |
| App | Some | Okay | Check mode |
| Manual | More | Last | Retest |
💡Tips
Jump heights can be calculated by measuring the flight time of a jump. Flight time is length of time that an individual is in the air, from when there feet leave the ground to when they land on the ground again. Because of the physics of gravity, an individual’s jump height can be determined using the rate of gravity, which is 9.8 meter per second squared.
To calculate jump height, an individual must take the flight time of their jump, multiply it by two, square that number, and divide by eight. An individual with a flight time of 0.5 second, for example, will have a jump height of approximately 37 centimeters. Jump height is a measurement of an individual’s explosiveness.
How to Measure and Improve Jump Height
However, jump height alone does not provide a complete understanding of an individual’s power; power is the measure of force and speed relative to an individual’s body weight. An individual with a high body weight will require more force to achieve the same jump height than an individual with a lower body weight. Additionally, you should consider an individual’s standing reach when measuring jump height; standing reach is a measurement of how high an individual can stand on the ground and extend their reach.
By adding an individual’s standing reach to their jump height, an individual’s total touch height can be calculated. Total touch height is a measurement of how high an individual can reach during a jump. Jump height requirement differ according to the sport that an individual plays.
For instance, a volleyball player may require a higher jump height than a soccer player. As a result, there are different benchmarks for jump height for different sports. Additionally, an individual’s physical condition can affect there jump height; an individual who is fatigued will jump less highly than an individual who is physically conditioned and energetic.
Data regarding jump height can be collected with the use of different tools. Contact mats will provide high precision in measuring jump height. High-speed videos can also be used to measure jump height; however, incorrectly counting the frame in the video can introduce errors into the data.
A correction factor, or multiplier, can be applied to account for this potential error. Finally, different jump style will create different jump heights. Countermovement jumps require a dip of the body prior to jumping; squat jumps require no dip of the body.
Countermovement jumps will result in higher jump heights due to the stretch reflex of the muscle in the body. There are some mistakes in measuring jump height that should be avoided. One mistake is landing in an unstable position; instead, an individual should land with their feet together.
Additionally, an individual should consider the ratio of an individual’s touch height to their standing reach. If an individual divides their touch height by their standing reach, the resulting number will indicate if the individual has high level of explosiveness; if the number is 1.3 or higher, then the individual has high levels of explosiveness. Depending on the calculated jump height of an individual, that individual can be trained in different ways.
If an individual has a jump height of less than 25 centimeters, they should begin to build their base strength through exercises like trap bar jump. If an individual has a jump height of between 25 and 44 centimeters, depth jumps should be used to increase their strength and speed. If an individual has a jump height between 45 and 64 centimeters, jumps should be performed that simulate the movements required of the individual during their sport.
Finally, if an individual can jump 65 centimeters or higher, maintenance exercise like cluster set should be used. Data regarding jump height can be tracked over time. By plotting the data of jump height on a graph, it is possible to determine if an individual’s jump height is increasing or if it has plateaued.
If the jump height plateau, the individual should examine their sleep and their mobility in relation to their hips. However, if an individual’s jump height is increasing, they should continue to perform their jump training to reach more higher thresholds of flight time during those jumps.
