Well I'm not a guide book but I play basket ball and I practice my jumps by starting of with some basic stretches. Then move on to a leg press machine. Theres basically two major parts to it your thighs and your calves. You'll want to remove all excess fat from both areas and work up lean muscle. Don't go for weight but focus more on the number of reps at a comfortable weight. Another nice way to improve is video tape your self jumping and see what direction you are moving. This helped me out a bit because I wasn't traveling completely straight up. Jumping onto a elevated surface may be tempting but be careful because there is a great risk of injury. Try to get in about 5 sets of 10 on a about 2 feet then try to do a bit more and keep advancing. Sorry i know this isnt a guide book but just trying to pass a fellow athlete some tips
First off if you don't already weight train with your legs, start there. You will notice a fast improvement in your vertical if you have never worked out your legs before since your power will increase quickly (beginner gains).