I often joke that when other coaches come to shadow me for a day, they leave thinking I’m not doing anything innovative or exciting with my athletes. They might say, “Tony isn’t pushing new stuff; he’s not flashy,” and even joke about the no-pants bit. I’ll admit I’m not pretending to be a wizard with every exercise or program I write.
SIMPLE BEFORE SEXY
Let’s talk about the box jump. If you scroll through social media, you’ll see plenty of videos of athletes jumping onto boxes. Some are simple and quiet, which I prefer. Others try to outdo everyone else, chasing likes and virality more than real value. There’s a time for fun and not taking things too seriously, I get that. But when it comes to youth athletes—and honestly most high-level athletes the vast majority of the time—I don’t think flashy videos are worth it. Clips of athletes jumping to 40, 50, or 60 inches with poor form, or circus-like stunts like jumping onto a stack of foam rollers while juggling chainsaws, don’t impress me. I don’t have enough eye rolls to give.
I want my athletes to do the simple things well. Here’s Theo, a 15-year-old high school basketball player, performing a box jump to a one-legged landing. Could we use a higher box? Maybe. Could I have him look into the camera, rip his shirt off, and yell “THIS… IS… SPARTA”? Next time. That’s not the point of the drill.
The point is this:
1) Learn to create force by pushing off the ground to propel upward, but also to absorb it and decelerate. Athletes need to know when to turn on their brakes. It’s not useful to only focus on acceleration. I often tell my athletes to “land like a ninja.” If I hear a loud thwack when they land, especially if I’m across the room or it’s set to a pounding beat, I know they’re not landing correctly. A loud landing can also mean the box height is too high. Train both the jump and the landing, and avoid chasing ego.
2) Own the landing. There should be no excessive knee or foot collapse as they land, and their posture shouldn’t cave in. If that happens, the box is likely too high—lower it. There’s nothing wrong with doing single‑leg hops on the ground; they aren’t flashy, but they transfer much better to the daily needs of athletes and clients.
On a side note, I told Theo to hold his landing for a 1–2 second count to reinforce it. Slowing athletes down often helps them learn what proper positions feel like.
3) I also believe the right technique is to step off the box rather than jump back down.
4) And yes, I’ll admit I’m a bit of a nerd about this stuff—mindhunter on Netflix is worth watching when you’ve got time.
Note: Theo’s first rep had his knees cave in a little as he generated force. Not ideal, but not dangerous, and we’ll fix it. I don’t expect perfection from beginners, but each rep got progressively better, and the sets improved as we went. There’s always a learning curve with new exercises, even the simple ones. I sometimes wear them, on Thursdays.
