Find suitable surface for performing all jumps. Before you even consider jumping, choose a suitable soft surface to minimize the risk of injury to your body. A suitable surface is one that is both flat and soft. Ideal surfaces include grass, exercise mats and soft playground surfaces specifically designed to break the impact of falls. Moreover, in each case you are advised to have a spotter, a person who can watch you and help if needed. Preferably, have someone who knows how to perform the jumps teach you how to do them; an article explanation can never take the place of a real life demonstration and hands-on help.
Start with the star jump or jumping jack. This jump has a pedigree that extends beyond gymnastics––it's also used for training military recruits, as a physical education exercise in schools and as part of numerous exercise programs worldwide. It's an energizing exercise that can be performed almost anywhere there's space to jump! Warm up first or you risk hurting yourself. Stand with your legs apart, shoulder-width and knees slightly bent. Have your arms to your sides, slightly bent. Squat down by bending your knees. Jump up vertically, as high as you can go. At the same time, bring your arms up to point at a 45 degree angle from your head toward the sky, while extending your legs out similarly. This will form the "star" shape. As you begin to descend, bring your legs and arms back in. Aim to land back in the same spot with your knees bent. Repeat as often as needed––the landing position prepares you for each successive launch.
Next, try the straight jump. Straight jumps are used in more than just gymnastics, for example in parkour, martial arts and even snowboarding and each method may differ slightly. The method explained here is based on the gymnastics version: Warm up first or you risk hurting yourself. Stand in a straight body position. Keep your legs together and arms by your sides. Bend into a plié. Now jump straight up. As you enter mid-air, point your toes and extend your arms upwards, past your ears to reach above your head. Land back in a plié. Repeat as often as needed––the landing position prepares you for each successive launch.
After perfecting the straight jump (do it at least 10 times), try to do a tuck jump. Another exercise that extends beyond gymnastics, the tuck jump is often used to increase the vertical jump of athletes, increasing both power and agility through repeated practice. Warm up first or you risk hurting yourself. This step must not be overlooked. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Have your knees slightly bent. Keep your head up and your eyes forward. Squat low by bending your knees. From the squat position, push yourself upward as powerfully as you can. As you reach mid-air, bring your knees up to your chest. Bring your arms to clasp together around your bend legs. As you start descending, let go of your legs and bring down to land, knees bent. Descend straight into another squat. Repeat as many times as desired. This jump is for infrequent use (about weekly only) as it can damage your joints if overdone.
Follow with a straddle jump. Often used in cheerleading, dancing and trampolining as well as gymnastics, the straddle jump is also known as the "toe touch." Before attempting this jump, be sure you are able to perform a center split. Also, practicing on a trampoline often helps to improve your technique. Be aware that this jump doesn't "just happen." It takes a lot of practice and concentration on improving your technique; some people find it is just to hard to do, so don't push yourself too hard, especially not without help from a qualified trainer. As this jump can be quite risky done alone, always do it with a spotter. In fact, the spotter can help you by holding your back at waist level to give you extra lift. Warm up first or you risk hurting yourself. Use a chair for support for your first tries. Weight the chair with something heavy to prevent it from toppling over. Hold onto the back of the chair and simply practice jumping up and down, as high as you go. Only add the split if you feel confident. Remove the support. Stand with both feet together, you arms dangling by your sides in a relaxed fashion. Stay relaxed all over. Squat down to the floor. Use your hands to balance you on the floor and raise your heels off the floor slightly. To take off, look up, breathe in and then push yourself up from the floor. Jump up into the air as high as you can, relying on the strength in your legs to get you into the air. Bring your legs out to the sides when up high in the jump and point your toes out. Your arms should also be stretched out toward your pointed toes (you may even try to touch them). Your head should be upright and your eyes facing forward. As you begin to descend, quickly pull your legs back together before landing, knees bent. Repeat as often as required.
Finally, practice doing a split jump. As with the straddle jump, this jump is popular in dance, trampolining, cheerleading and gymnastics. Figure skating is another area where a split jump is used but its technique is not covered here. It is also a general gym or exercise technique but in this case, you barely leave the ground, so this method is not covered here. In gymnastics, the aim is to show 180 degrees of separation of the legs. Warm up first or you risk hurting yourself. Stand with both feet together, your arms dangling by your sides in a relaxed fashion. Stay relaxed all over. Jump upward, as high as you can. Split the legs when mid-air. Pull one leg forward and the other behind as you are in mid-air. Point the toes. When you are about to land, pull your legs back into the original position and land gently, knees bent. For gymnasts, this jump is often landed on a beam, but never practice this without appropriate supervision from a qualified gym instructor. Repeat as required.
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