Guide · Measuring
How to measure your vertical jump
It's easier than you think.
Your vertical jump is one number: how far your body rises off the ground on a standing two-foot jump. Coaches ask for it, combines test it, and every athlete who trains it wants to watch it move. Here is every real way to measure it — from a piece of chalk to a force plate — with exact steps for the two you can do at home today.
The 5 ways to measure a vertical jump
| Method | What you need | Accuracy | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wall & chalk | A high wall, chalk | ±2–3″ (marking error) | Free |
| Vertec | The vane apparatus, a spotter | ±1″ | $500+ |
| Jump mat | Contact mat (flight time) | ±0.5–1″ | $400–$2,000 |
| Force plate | Lab or pro facility | Gold standard | $5,000+ |
| iPhone flight-time | An iPhone against a wall | Jump-mat physics at 240 fps | Free to try |
The Vertec and the jump mat are what school combines use. The force plate is what pro teams use. The two you can do right now are the wall test and the flight-time test — so here are both, step by step.
Method 1: The wall test (chalk and honesty)
Quick note before you jump: this is general info, not medical advice — max-effort jumping is real exercise, so warm up, use a grippy surface, and check with a doctor if you're new to training. Under 18? Loop in a parent. Full disclaimer.
- Mark your standing reach. Stand side-on to a wall, feet flat, and reach straight up with your inside arm. Mark the highest point your fingertips touch. Don't shrug off the ground — flat feet.
- Jump and mark the peak. Chalk your fingertips, take no step, and jump straight up off both feet, touching the wall at the top. Do three attempts and keep the highest mark.
- Measure the gap. The distance between your standing-reach mark and your best jump mark is your vertical jump.
Why the wall test drifts: you mark with an arm that's swinging, at a peak you can't see, against a wall you're trying not to hit. Most people's marks scatter across 2–3 inches between attempts — which is a problem when a month of training buys you one.
Method 2: The flight-time test (what jump mats do — on your phone)
Jump mats and combine equipment don't measure height directly. They measure how long you're in the air and convert it with physics:
height = g × t² ÷ 8 — where t is flight time. Hang in the air 0.6 seconds and you jumped ~17.4″. Hang 0.7 seconds and you jumped ~23.7″.
A slow-motion iPhone camera can time a jump the same way. That's exactly what JumpHigh does:
- Prop your iPhone against a wall and step back until your whole body is in frame.
- Jump once. The app films in slow motion at up to 240 frames per second and on-device pose tracking finds your exact takeoff and landing frames.
- Read your number. You get your vertical in inches with a confidence score, a rank, and a trend graph for weekly tests. Nothing is uploaded — every frame is analyzed on the phone.
At 240 fps, each frame is ~4 milliseconds — a fraction of an inch of resolution at jump heights, without a $2,000 mat.
What is a good vertical jump?
Broad reference points, standing two-foot jump:
| Level | Typical vertical |
|---|---|
| Untrained teens & adults | 14–20″ |
| Trained high-school athletes | 20–26″ |
| College athletes | 26–32″ |
| Elite jumpers | 30″+ |
Tables are for context. The number that actually matters is your own baseline and which direction it's moving — which is why the measurement method you pick needs to be repeatable week after week.
How to test so the number means something
- Test fresh. Not after practice, not after leg day.
- Same conditions every time. Same shoes, same surface, same warm-up.
- Weekly, not daily. Verticals change slowly; daily numbers are noise, weekly numbers are trend.
- Three jumps, keep the best. First jumps are often warm-up jumps.
Once you have a baseline, the obvious next question is how to raise it — we wrote a full guide on that: how to increase your vertical jump.
Measurement questions, answered
How do I measure my vertical jump at home?
Two practical options: the wall test (mark standing reach, jump and mark the peak, measure the difference) or the flight-time method, where a slow-motion phone camera times your air time and converts it to height. The wall test needs a high wall and honest marks; the flight-time method just needs an iPhone propped against a wall.
How is vertical jump calculated from flight time?
Height = g × flight time² ÷ 8. A 0.6-second flight is about 17.4 inches; 0.7 seconds is about 23.7 inches. It's the same physics jump mats and combine equipment use.
What is a good vertical jump for my age?
As broad reference points: many untrained teens and adults measure around 14–20 inches, trained high-school athletes often land between 20 and 26 inches, and elite jumpers clear 30+. Your own baseline and trend matter more than any table.
Do I need a Vertec or jump mat?
No. They're accurate but cost hundreds to thousands of dollars and live in gyms. A wall and chalk cost nothing, and the flight-time method — the physics jump mats use — now runs on an iPhone filming at up to 240 frames per second.
How often should I test?
Once a week, fresh, at roughly the same time of day. Vertical jump changes slowly — daily testing shows noise, weekly testing shows trend.
Get your number today.
One jump in front of your iPhone. First measurement free.
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