Jump Animations

I am playing with a 3d game that has an animated caracter with a few jump animations. Right now it just jumps straight up, even on a backflip. This one is just a stand in till I make the real caracter.
My question is: would it be better to move the mesh while making the new animation? Or is there a way I can time it to move with the frames?

I would suggest you want to keep your character centralise and move the mesh with the jump. This way you can change jump lengths and heights without messing with the animation.