PPA Missing Link Program Review Summary
Missing Link Jump Technique Program
PPA's Missing Link is an extremely comprehensive jump technique development program designed to run alongside your existing vertical jump program.
I highly recommend all athletes serious about maximizing their vertical jump get this program!
4.8
The Good
Helps you quickly identify flaws in your own vertical jump technique.
Will almost certainly lead to multiple inches gained over the 12 week period.
Can be stacked with any other vertical jump program.
Requires very little equipment.
Quite affordable!
The Bad
Formatting/presentation of the information could be slightly better.
Recommended For
I strongly recommend all athletes serious about improving their vertical jump complete the Missing Link program in conjunction with their existing vertical jump program.
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Missing Link Jump Technique Program (PPA) – Is It Any Good?
The Missing Link program isn’t technically a vertical jump development program… but rather a program designed to run alongside your main jump program that aims to help you master the mechanics of jumping.
How Does PPA’s Missing Link Program Work? & What To Expect
The Missing Link ‘program’ has a 12 week duration and can be combined alongside any other vertical jump program.
It’s very much focused on the technical aspects of jumping and is super low volume (just 2 days per week), so it’s not going to tire you out much at all.
The purpose of this program is to help develop our proprioception by breaking down the vertical jump into several parts and practicing them separately at first, then putting everything together.
After a brief warm up (or after your regular workout), you can expect to follow a workout like the following…
Chances are you probably don’t know what any of these exercises are, but this is the secret sauce Coach Ty uses to help athletes radically increase their vertical jumps very quickly.
Missing Link Program Structure
Each of the 12 weeks are broken down into 3×4 week phases that build upon one another and seek to have you jumping as efficiently as possible by the end of week 12.
Phase 1 (4 Weeks)
The Missing Link program starts out by simply breaking down the vertical jump into its components (approach, penultimate, block step, toe-off) and introducing you to a few drills aimed at developing each individual section of the jump.
These are fairly basic in nature and the goal here is to help reprogram our brain to become familiar with proper technique.
Phase 2 (4 Weeks)
In the second phase, we’re adding resistance to some of our drills, such as using bands to overload the eccentric portion of certain movements.
We’re also starting to combine some of the new movement pathways we’ve established and are getting ready to put everything together.
Phase 3 (4 Weeks)
In the final phase of the program we’re using boxes and resistance bands to add some dynamic variables and to introduce some overspeed training into the mix.
The goal here is to develop competency jumping from more difficult positions, which should make us even more proficient when performing regular jumps.
Do I Need Equipment For The Missing Link Program?
Only a small amount of equipment is needed for this program,
- 12-36″ Box/platform
- Resistance bands
This makes the Missing Link great for anyone doing a bodyweight vertical jump program who doesn’t have access to a full gym.
You’ll also need a mobile phone or camera that you can use to film yourself with.
What I Liked About The Missing Link Program
I’m a huge fan of the Missing Link, so let’s quickly summarize what really stood out for me…
Helps You Learn What Good Jump Technique Looks Like
The vast majority of athletes will have something pretty wrong with their vertical jump technique, even very experienced athletes who can jump quite high…
Learning what a perfect jump looks like and developing the ability to analyze and identify ‘leaks’ in your own technique is an extremely important skill every elite jumper must have.
No vertical jump program gives you a really comprehensive framework for mastering the biomechanics of jumping like the Missing Link program does…
Period.
If you’re serious about maximizing your vertical jump, you need to first be willing to take a good hard look at some footage of your own jump form…
Only then can you get serious about optimizing your mechanics and jumping your highest.
Can Be Combined With Any Vertical Jump Program
Because this is only a 2 day program that is fairly low intensity, it can (and should) be combined with your main vertical jump training program, whichever option you choose to go with.
I recommend sticking with PPA and going for either their Elite Remote Training Membership or with Project: Vertical but there’s plenty of other really good vertical jump programs on the market too.
Affordable
At just $49, this program is super affordable for what you get…
Learning how to perfect the art of jumping could be the difference between maxing out at 44″ or at 46″, or the difference between gaining 4″ or gaining 8″ from a standard 10-16 week training program.
That’s well worth every penny you can throw at it!
What I Disliked About The Missing Link Program
Honestly there wasn’t much I could find to complain about with this program…
Formatting Could Be Improved Slightly
One tiny thing that stood out to me was that the warm up series doesn’t include the number of reps/duration – you have to watch the demo video to see how many reps to perform.
This is a very minor complaint obviously, but it would make things a little easier for the end user if it were fixed.
If each exercise was hyperlinked to an individual demo video, this might also be a slightly better format than just including a link to the entire workout.
Who Created The Missing Link Jump Technique Program?
Coach Tyler Ray, the founder of PPA, is well regarded as one of the world’s foremost experts when it comes to vertical jump training as well as biomechanical analysis and optimization.
He’s coached countless athletes with their jump mechanics and is one of the most knowledgeable people on Earth when it comes to vertical jump training.
Coach Ty is also extremely well known for his biomechanical breakdowns of elite jumpers which I’ve personally learned so much from as an athlete…
Coach Ty is vertical jump training royalty at this point and there’s virtually no one I’d rather learn from!
How Does The Missing Link Compare To Other Vertical Jump Programs?
You can’t really compare this program to other vertical jump programs, as it’s kind of in a category of its own…
The Missing Link program is most definitely the most comprehensive guide to vertical jump mechanics out there.
Jump Manual also does a pretty good job when it comes to jump technique and so does Vert Code Elite.
While these programs will show you the correct way to jump, they don’t provide much of a framework for how to get from where you are now to consistently jumping perfectly.
That’s the value of the Missing Link!
Who Should Do The Missing Link Program?
Anyone interested in improving their vertical jump will benefit from doing the Missing Link program, unless you’re part of that elite 5% of the population who already have impeccable form.
Even if you can jump really high or think your technique is good, I implore you to film yourself jumping and to take a good hard objective look at things…
The vast majority of athletes will find something major they can optimize.
Younger athletes of course need the most help with their jumping technique, so this program is ideal for anyone under the age of 18.
What’s The Verdict?
Overall I think the Missing Link is a fantastic product and is something well worth investing in if you’re serious about increasing your vertical jump.
By running this program alongside your existing training program for 12 weeks, I can pretty much guarantee you’ll get much better results than you would without it!
Need advice on choosing your main jump program? Check out my full list of the best jump programs of 2024.
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