Leaping to great heights

A Spanish friend sent a video featuring men jumping, from a standing still position at ground level, over high stacks of books.

    As a child, I used to see these people in kungfu (Chinese martial arts) films jumping onto garden walls and rooftops.  We'd say, "That's all special effects, tricks for the camera!"

    I was an athlete from age 8 to 18, competing in 100m and 200m sprint, 110m hurdles, and long jump.

    My father suggested I try this kind of training:

With one brick tied to the bottom of each foot,

    1. walk 

    2. then run 

    3. walk up stairs 

    4. run up stairs

    5. jump up onto a higher surface

Repeat above but with two bricks, and so on.

    If you can do the above with two or three bricks, once the weight is removed, your legs will feel ever so light without it, and you should be able to run faster, or jump higher — even to the top of a garden wall, or a rooftop, like those kungfu people.

    It makes sense that one should be able to do it.

    I didn't try the training, because I didn't want my calf muscles to look like a ballerina's.  (I was not that ambitious as an athlete, obviously.)