Learn the straight jump: prerequisites, build-up from body line to the jump with arm swing, common mistakes and why the landing matters more than height.
The straight jump is a two-footed take-off in which you keep your whole body long and tight in the air and land softly on both feet. It is the first jumping element in gymnastics, the base for the tuck jump, the somersault and almost every dismount.
The honest answer to "How hard is it?": You can already jump, but jumping with tension and a quiet landing has to be learned. For most adults that takes a few sessions. That is an experience-based estimate, not a study figure.
What the research says: in a study of 20 young female gymnasts, two extra jump sessions of 45 minutes per week over six weeks improved countermovement jump height (the jump with a short dip down first) and several vault measures [1]. They were children and teenagers with more experience than you (TRANSFER). The straight jump is not an end in itself: it is the simplest way to train jumping power and body tension at the same time.
There is a second reason: almost every gymnastics exercise ends in a landing. With the straight jump you therefore learn not only the take-off but what you need at the end of every element, namely arriving on two feet without stumbling. That applies to floor, beam and dismounts from every apparatus.
Stand up, ribs in, pelvis upright, arms long beside the ears. Look straight ahead. Milestone: ten seconds calm, in the side video a straight line from fingers to feet.
Small jumps only from the ankles, knees almost straight. This teaches you to use the foot as a spring. Milestone: 20 jumps without wobbling.
Dip briefly into the knees, then extend ankle, knee and hip in one movement. In the air the body stays long. Land on the balls of the feet, then lower the heels briefly, knees spring. Milestone: ten jumps with a calm landing.
The arms swing from behind to overhead and help the take-off. They come back down beside the body. Milestone: five jumps in which you always land on the same spot.
Jump several times in a row without standing still in between. This is the preparation for jumps on the trampoline and for dismounts. Milestone: eight jumps with the same height and the same landing spot.
Jump onto a line: stick a piece of tape on the floor and land with your heels on it every time. You see immediately whether you tip forward or sideways. That is a practical tip from training, not a study finding.
A second trick: once you are secure, jump on the spot with your eyes closed. Without sight you notice whether you really land in the middle or always drift forward. Do this only on a clear area and with a person nearby.
Through build-up: body line in standing, ankle jumps, straight jump without arms, then with arm swing. What matters are landing on the balls of the feet with springy knees and a tight line in the air. A side video shows you immediately where the line breaks.
Touch down on the balls of the feet, lower the heels briefly, bend the knees over the feet, trunk upright. Soft means controlled: a simulation showed that reducing ground force alone can raise internal loading [2].
In a study of 20 young female gymnasts, six weeks of jump training (two extra sessions per week) improved jump height and several vault measures [1]. They were teenagers, so this is only an indication (TRANSFER to adults).
Not at maximum at all. Your goal is a calm landing with a tight body line, not height. Height comes as a by-product when take-off and landing are clean. Only after ten controlled jumps in a row is it worth going higher.
Learning the Tuck Jump: Knees Up, Body Upright, Open Before You Land