68.5” that is the world record for running box jump held by crossfitter, Ryan Moody. He also holds the standing box jump world record at 56”.

Reigning NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion, Zach Levine posted an insane 46” vertical jump in one of his pre-draft workouts. And, the Dallas Cowboys Bryon Jones currently holds the world record for standing broad jump at 12’ 2 3/4”. As with sprinting, jumping is a true test of athleticism.

You don't need to post numbers like the ones above, but you do need to be able to get some separation from terra firma to be considered athletic.

Despite all the odd training methods I use; jumping gives people the most pause. The fear of busting a shin on a box jump, or tripping and falling down is hard to overcome if your feet haven't left the ground recently. This should provide all the more reason to work on your jumping prowess.

Starting off easy and low is the best approach with jumping exercises.

Here are several tips to increase that vertical:

Warm up your joints with a few minutes of jumping rope and 75 jumping jacks.
Jump up, step down. This saves your knees and is why you jump onto something when performing plyometric box jumps.
Things to jump on: Benches, boulders, retaining walls, picnic tables. plyo boxes, stairs, anything stable enough to hold your weight.
Improve lateral movement. Jump side to side over a small bench or box for 15-20 reps.
Jump for distance. mark landing spot and try and beat it every week for 6 weeks.
Jump after your warm up prior to training to fire up your Central Nervous System. This is way better than a shot of espresso. Although I often have one of those as well.
Jump just using your calves. Do as many reps as possible going as high as possible.
Squat, pause, jump. This builds explosiveness needed for jumping.
Sprint up a steep hill in as few strides as possible. Try and reduce strides over time. This builds incredible jumping power.
Jump up and touch something high like a backboard for reps.
Act like you did when you were a kid and have fun, the world is your playground. This approach makes consistency easier.

Take action, jump for fitness, jump for athleticism, jump to keep youthful movement, jump because it is fun.