Vertical Jump Calculator

A vertical jump calculator measures how high you can propel your body off the ground, expressed as the difference between your maximum standing reach and the highest point you touch during a jump. This metric is one of the most widely used indicators of explosive lower-body power in sports science, strength and conditioning, and athletic talent evaluation.

Our vertical jump calculator goes beyond a simple height measurement. By combining your jump height with your body weight, it computes two industry-standard estimates of peak anaerobic power output: the Lewis formula and the Sayers formula. These power figures tell coaches and athletes how much force the neuromuscular system can generate in a single explosive effort — a quality directly linked to sprinting speed, agility, and overall athleticism.

Whether you are a basketball player working on your dunking ability, a volleyball athlete trying to improve your blocking height, a football wide receiver aiming for a better NFL Combine score, or simply a fitness enthusiast tracking your explosive fitness, this calculator gives you a complete performance snapshot in seconds. Enter your standing reach, your jump reach (the highest point you can touch while jumping), and your body weight to instantly see your vertical jump height, performance classification, peak power output, and sport suitability.

The vertical jump test is favored by coaches worldwide because it requires minimal equipment — only a measuring wall or a Vertec device — yet delivers highly reproducible results that correlate strongly with athletic performance across dozens of sports. Understanding your numbers in the context of established benchmarks is the first step toward a targeted training plan that actually moves the needle.

Accurate measurement is critical to getting useful data from a vertical jump calculator. Follow this standardized procedure to ensure your inputs are valid and comparable to published norms.

1. Warm up properly. Perform 5–10 minutes of dynamic stretching and a few sub-maximal jumps to activate the posterior chain and prime the neuromuscular system. Cold muscles produce artificially low results.
2. Measure standing reach. Stand flat-footed next to a wall or Vertec device. Extend your dominant arm fully overhead and mark or record the highest point your fingertips touch. This is your standing reach — the baseline from which jump height is calculated.
3. Perform the jump. From a standing position (countermovement jump style), bend your knees, swing your arms back, then explosively jump as high as possible and touch the wall or Vertec at your peak. Do not take a step or run-up; the standard vertical jump test uses a stationary start.
4. Record jump reach. Note the highest mark you touched during the jump. This is your jump reach.
5. Calculate jump height. The calculator subtracts standing reach from jump reach to derive your true vertical jump height. For the most valid result, take three attempts and use your best single effort.

If measuring in inches, enter both standing reach and jump reach in inches and select the "inches" unit. The calculator automatically converts to centimeters internally for all power formulas and then reports results in both units for convenience.

This vertical jump calculator uses three mathematically distinct computations, each serving a different analytical purpose.

Jump Height

Jump height is the simplest calculation: the difference between your jump reach and your standing reach. When measurements are entered in inches, the result is multiplied by 2.54 to convert to centimeters, since both power formulas require centimeters and meters.

Lewis Formula for Peak Power

The Lewis (also written "Lewis-Bosco") formula estimates peak anaerobic power using jump height converted to meters and body mass in kilograms. It is derived from the physics of gravitational potential energy and is one of the oldest validated power estimates in exercise science:

Peak Power (W) = √4.9 × body mass (kg) × √jump height (m) × 9.81

The constant √4.9 ≈ 2.214 accounts for the relationship between jump height and take-off velocity, while 9.81 m/s² is the acceleration due to gravity. The resulting wattage represents the average peak mechanical power produced during the propulsive phase of the jump.

Sayers Formula for Peak Power

The Sayers equation is a regression-based formula derived from force-plate laboratory data and is widely considered to be more accurate than the Lewis formula for field settings:

Peak Power (W) = (60.7 × jump height in cm) + (45.3 × body mass in kg) − 2055

The Sayers formula tends to produce higher wattage estimates than the Lewis formula because it was calibrated against force-plate measurements capturing both concentric and eccentric phases of the jump. Both estimates are useful for tracking relative changes over time.

Relative Power

Relative power (W/kg) = Lewis peak power ÷ body mass. This normalizes power output for body size, allowing fair comparisons between athletes of different weights.

The classification system used by this vertical jump calculator is based on widely adopted strength-and-conditioning benchmarks. Jump height is evaluated in inches because most published norms — especially from the NFL Combine and college athletics — use imperial units. Understanding which tier you fall into helps you set realistic short-term goals and compare your performance against population and sport-specific standards.

These tiers are not static limits — with proper plyometric training and strength programming, athletes regularly move up one or two classification levels within a 12–16 week training block. The NFL Combine average vertical jump for all positions typically falls between 29 and 35 inches, while NBA draft prospects average approximately 28–30 inches due to their taller standing reaches reducing the practical advantage of raw jump height.

Different sports demand different minimum vertical jump thresholds for competitive effectiveness. The sport suitability flags in this calculator are based on the jump height in inches and reflect broadly accepted benchmarks for each sport.

Basketball and Volleyball (≥ 28 inches): Both sports require athletes to contest shots, set blocks, and attack the net above the height of opponents. An NBA regulation rim sits at 120 inches (305 cm); a standing reach of around 90 inches means a 30-inch vertical brings the hand to 120 inches — the minimum to cleanly dunk. Volleyball players need high jump reach to attack above the net (93.5–94.5 inches for men).

Football (WR/DB) and Track & Field (≥ 24 inches): Wide receivers and defensive backs rely on vertical burst to gain separation, high-point the ball, and contest passes at their apex. Track and field jumpers (high jump, long jump, triple jump) obviously need maximal vertical power as the foundation of their event.

Soccer and Tennis (≥ 20 inches): Heading in soccer and overhead smash mechanics in tennis both benefit meaningfully from vertical explosiveness, though the threshold for competitive adequacy is lower than in the court sports above.

It is important to note that sport suitability is one factor among many. Technique, speed, court awareness, and skill execution all play major roles. These flags are intended as motivational benchmarks and training targets, not definitive talent assessments.

Improving your vertical jump requires a systematic training approach that addresses both maximum strength and explosive power. Gains of 3–6 inches over 12 weeks are achievable for beginners, while advanced athletes typically see smaller but still meaningful 1–3 inch improvements per training block.

Plyometric training is the most direct method. Exercises like depth drops, box jumps, broad jumps, and hurdle hops train the stretch-shortening cycle — the rapid eccentric-to-concentric muscle action that powers a maximal vertical jump. Progress from lower-intensity bilateral jumps to single-leg and reactive plyometrics as your landing mechanics improve.

Strength training builds the force production base that plyometrics convert to power. Back squats, front squats, Romanian deadlifts, and single-leg variations all contribute to the hip and knee extension strength needed for a powerful take-off. Research consistently shows that athletes who achieve a back squat of 1.5× bodyweight or more respond more rapidly to plyometric programming.

Olympic lifting derivatives — hang cleans, power cleans, and kettlebell swings — are particularly effective because they train explosive triple extension (ankle, knee, hip) which mirrors the mechanical pattern of a vertical jump. Many strength coaches include these as a cornerstone of jump training for this reason.

Track your progress by re-testing every 4 weeks using consistent measurement conditions: same time of day, same warm-up protocol, and the same number of attempts. Use this vertical jump calculator after each test to monitor power output changes alongside jump height, since power improvements can sometimes precede visible jump height gains during early training phases.