Increase Your Vertical Leap

Basketball is one of the few sports in which an athlete’s ability to jump can win instant recognition from peers and coaches. Many players will make a team because they can really jump, or “sky.” Being able to jump not just higher, but also quicker, can make the game more fun for players because of the attention it brings, the opportunity to slam-dunk, or even the opportunity to improve rebounding.

Still, the desire to be a great leaper should not cause a basketball player to forget to practice fundamental skills. Drills for shooting, working with the triple-threat position, dribbling, individual defense, and other skills should have first priority every day because players spend less time jumping in a game than they do in performing other skills.

As a realistic goal, players should add daily jumping exercises to an in season and off-season conditioning program.

Here are some of the easiest and most effective ways to go about increasing your vertical leap:

Stretching

Whatever program of exercise you decide on, supplement it with a sound stretching program. For maximum benefits, stretch before and after working out. Stretching will help you reach your full jumping potential. in fact, proper stretching can by itself help increase your vertical leap by 4 inches or more!

Weight Training

Weight training is probably the quickest and least painful way to improve jumping ability and to do it in a hurry. It is also one of the best ways to strengthen jumping muscles and gain total athletic body development. Before beginning any strength training, do your homework or consult a trained professional for help in developing a fundamental program. Remember, improvement will be demonstrated over weeks and months, not days and hours. Be committed and stay with it. It is strongly recommended that you adopt a total weight-training program for the entire body, not just exercises for making legs stronger for jumping. A complete program will give you total body balance and will assist in overcompensation of one muscle group in your body over another. This will translate into greater athleticism and fewer injuries. Besides, it will take only a few minutes longer each day and will give you greater overall strength in your upper, middle, and lower body. You will also look and feel better and play with more confidence.

Plyometrics

Plyometrics is a training technique that uses the principle of overload training. Jumping off and into boxes in quick explosive movements, adding body-weight vests, and using medicine ball resistance are all forms of Plyometric training. Scott Phelps, president of Speed Quest and the premier speed and quickness coach in the world, explains: “The objective of Plyometrics is to increase muscle recruitment while maintaining the same speed time. There has to be a moderate overload of resistance with a fast response time. Explosive steps and movements. Do not add to much of an overload; light to moderate resistance is the key.”

For example, it’s better to begin with a 12-inch box rather than a 40-inch box. An athlete will respond much more quickly on a 12-inch box and therefore gain greater explosiveness. As an athlete’s ability to respond increases, the overload can then increase. Progress to taller boxes only if the same quick response time can be maintained. Always use quick, explosive movements.

Running Hills

Running up steep hills is an exceptionally good way to increase jumping ability. You can do it separately or together with weight training. If you do weight training, run only on your non-lifting days.

There are two ways to run on hills to receive the greatest benefits. First, find a steep hill that is one to two miles from bottom to top. Run it daily, all the way up and back down again. If the hill is steep for only half a mile, then run it two or three times in a row without stopping. Pace yourself the first two weeks, and give yourself time to build up to running the full distance. This will be an extremely difficult exercise at first, but it will improve your jumping dramatically within six to eight weeks.

The other option is to find a steep hill 30 to 40 yards long. Spring up the hill six to ten times at full speed, jogging down each time. Then run six to ten times sprints at full speed up the fill, backward! Stretch properly before running and check with a physician or trainer before doing either of these exercises. You are responsible for your own health.

Using a “Leaper Machine”

Your school or college weight room may have this machine. Many health clubs and fitness centers with a weight room have it as well. When using the machine, do three or four sets of twenty to thirty repetitions each. Break for one to two minutes between each set. Do the repetitions as quickly as possible. This will help you jump higher and more quickly.

Touching The Rim, Backboard Or Net

One of the best ways to improve jumping is to practice jumping. Try this drill. Stand underneath the target (the rim, backboard, or net, depending on which you can touch at the high point of your jump). Now, jump and touch the target with both hands, twenty-five times. Without stopping, jump off your right leg twenty-five times as high as you can, touching the target with only one hand. Next, jump off your left leg twenty-five times. Finish by jumping off both legs and touching the target with both hands another twenty-five times.

Jumping In Place

Stand at attention, hands at your sides. Without bending your knees, jump quickly as high as you can off both feet, fifty times. Next, hold your right leg behind you with your right hand, and jump off your left foot fifty times. Then hold your left leg with your left hand and jump off your right foot fifty times. Finish by quickly jumping off both feet fifty times without bending the knees. Do two sets of the drill if you can, resting for five minutes between sets. You can even do this drill while watching TV!

Jumping Rope

Daily, jump rope for fifteen to thirty minutes, or complete a specific number of repetitions. One revolution of the rope equals one repetition. Do a different jump-rope exercise every five minutes or for two hundred repetitions: jump off both legs, the left leg alone, the right leg alone, while running in place, off both legs again, and so on.

By Coach John Scott – The BASKETBALL DOCTOR®