Drop off, then rebound to the ceiling.
Minimize ground contact time, you're trying to bounce off the floor, not pause on it.
Stepping off a tall box loads your quads with far more force than a normal jump ever could, then asks them to reverse it instantly into a maximal vertical leap. That split-second switch from absorbing to exploding is the stretch-shortening cycle at its most intense, with the glutes driving hip extension on the rebound. It earns its place as an advanced plyometric for athletes chasing a higher vertical and faster ground contact, not as everyday conditioning filler.
Start modest, around knee height, and only go higher if your ground contact stays snappy. If you sink into a deep pause on landing, the box is too tall for your current bounce, whatever your squat numbers say.
Sparingly. This is one of the most intense jump drills there is, so keep volume low, think a couple of sessions a week with limited quality reps, done fresh at the start of training rather than at the end.
Opposite directions of intent. A box jump is about jumping up onto something soft and safe for the joints. A depth jump drops you off the box first so the landing itself becomes the trigger for a bigger rebound jump.
