These two high jump drills both utilize hurdles and can be done of soft surfaces thus reducing training stress on your jumpers.
In the video clip below USC assistant coach Michale Pullins uses his athletes to demonstrate two different hurdle hop drill that can be utilized to effectively train your high jumpers.
This first drill is called the Double Arm Hurdle Hop. In this drill, the coach should mark off a circle with a radius of 10-15 feet and place hurdles along the perimeter of the circle. The spacing of the hurdles will be dependant on the abilities of the athlete. This will require that you adjust the distance between each hurdle so that the athletes can mimic their normal approach.
This is a critical exercise that can teach your jumpers to use both arms and to create a forceful drive that is upward and outward.
The second drill is the Zig Zag Hurdle Hop Drill. In this drill 4 hurdles are placed at 90-degree angles to each other forming a zig-zag line. The athlete will then explode up off two feet to clear the first hurdle. Upon landing the will immediately jump again to the side to clear the next hurdle. This plyometric exercise is typically done once per week.
Both of these can be done of soft surfaces (grass) thus helping to reduce injuries like shin splints and tendonitis.
These drills come from a high jump training DVD that contains over 90 drills from some of the nations best high jump coaches. For more information about that DVD click the link The Best of Championship Productions – Track & Field: 90+ High Jump Drills
The YouTube video below has audio, so please make sure that your speakers are turned on and that you can access the site. Note that some schools block access to YouTube.