Vertical Jump Tips
Read these 15 Vertical Jump Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Basketball tips and hundreds of other topics.
Developing your Vertical Leap
In basketball today, players want to run fast, play strong, and most importantly, jump high. How does one improve the height of his or her vertical leap, you ask? There's a simple answer. Weight training.
The two most important muscles for jumping "out of the gym" are the calf and quadriceps muscles. The power in your jump will come from the quad muscle in the front of your thigh. The explosion that lifts you off of the floor to begin with? That starts with having strong calf muscles.
There are different ways to strengthen those muscles. For your quads, it is smart to perform the leg press workout on a leg press machine, pushing weight outwards or upwards while controlling your body. Leg extensions, where one sits flat and lifts weight upward with both legs, is another way to strengthen the quads. A favorite is the wall sit. This requires less equipment and uses the weight of your own body to build strength. Sit on a wall, dropping your rear end until you quads are at a 90 degree angle and parallel to the ground. Sit there for a while, even adding a weight to your lap, until the muscle starts to burn.
As for the calf muscles, there are a few things one can do to strengthen them. Toe raises are effective. Stand against a wall to keep your balance. Then, on one foot, push your body up and down, keeping the weight on the front balls of your feet. Repeat this any number of times until there is a nice burn in the muscle. Running sprints will also help to develop the calf muscle.
If you can use weight training to strengthen these muscles, you will be well on your way to jumping higher and even running faster. The world's best athletes win their championships in the weight room. There's no reason why you can't join them!
Jump! Jump!
There are many complicated programs and new-fangled gadgets to help increase vertical jump, but sometimes the classics are the best.
One easy way to work on your ups is to practice jumping back and forth over a two-foot bench. You may have to start slowly, but eventually you'll be able to hop back and forth without stopping, which will help increase both your vertical jump and quickness.
Add this to a regimen of strength training and rope jumping and you will be on your way - UP!
Build Your Jumping
In order to better your jumping, you need to increase your leg strength and stamina. A great way to do this is by doing a consecutive jumping drill. Begin by jumping as high as you can off both feet. Your hands should be above your head and rotating to help you jump high. As soon as you land, go right back up. Repeat this twenty-five times. Next, jump twenty-five times off your right foot, then twenty-five times off your left. Keep your hands up and go up as quickly as you can after landing. Next, jump twenty-five times bringing your knees to your chest. You can now bring your arms down in order to maintain balance, but continue jumping as quickly as possible. Then jump twenty-five times trying to kick your heals into your rear end. Finally, perform twenty-five Jerry Wests. A Jerry West is a jump in which you bend forward at the waist extending your arms at forty-five degree angles. Try to touch your fingertips to your toes.
Tricking Your Muscles to Make You Jump Higher
Only two things keep us grounded on the earth; resistance from gravity and from our own muscles. There is not much we can do about gravity, but your muscles do not need to know that. New training accessories have been developed that can help you in your battle against gravity and trick your muscles into helping you jump higher. Among the most reliable of of these new tools is a weighted belt. These have been around for a while, but the new incarnations of this classic utility are made for more comfort and effectiveness. By weighing yourself down as you practice, your muscles think you have more weight to propel on your body. When you are done using the belt, your body will remember that extra weight and you will move quicker and jump higher as a result.
Flexibility - The Key to Jumping Higher
Often overlooked as a factor in leaping ability is a player's flexibility. Jumping high is based on the elasticity of your muscles and tendons. Without extreme flexibility, you will never jump as high as you could with proper training. Be sure that before you practice you employ a series of stretching drills to help with your flexibility. Basic hamstring and quadricep stretches can be done in just a few minutes either standing or seated on the floor. There are also many basketball training accessories now available to provide you with a stringent warm-up routine for flexibility. Take advantage of these to increase your flexibility and increase your jump.
Plyometrics
Speed and strength are integral components of basketball. Simply put, the combination of speed and strength is power. For many years, coaches and players have sought to improve power in order to enhance performance. Increased power helps in your jumping and quickness to be a better rebounder, defender, or finish moves around the basket. Throughout this century and no doubt long before, jumping, bounding and hopping exercises have been used in various ways to enhance basketball performance. In recent years, this distinct method of training for power or explosiveness has been termed plyometrics. This describes the method of training, which seeks to enhance the explosive reaction of the individual through powerful muscular contractions as a result of rapid contractions.
Methods to Jump Higher
Jumping has become as much what basketball is about as dribbling is. Everyone wants to increase their vertical leap so they can make airborne moves to the hoop. If you really want to increase your vertical jump, try these tips. Have you thought about the jump shoes? I know, you never see people playing in these, but that is because you are not supposed to. These shoes with the 'high-toe' as opposed to 'high heel' are made for training and doing specific drills. These drills are the fastest way to build your calves, quads, and hamstrings. These are the muscles that will make you jump higher, fast. If you want to jump high and are willing to use the training, the jump shoes are the way to go for the results you are looking for.
Tall - But That's Not All
Sometimes younger players who mature early struggle waiting for their coordination to catch up with their height. But don't worry - with practice and confidence, your skills can catch up with your stature!
To work on your jump shot, have someone rebound for you while you practice, practice, practice! Aim for the squares on the backboard as you shoot bank shots - from one block to the other.
And be confident! If you have the desire and drive - you will get there!
Plyometrics for basketball
Plyometrics and basketball go hand-in-hand. Plyometrics is one of the best exercise programs to help a player improve his/her vertical jump and learn how to jump higher in basketball. Each member of the team should be participating in a plyometric exercise programs to learn, encourage, train and improve each player. Plyometric exercises improves circulation, stimulates nerve cells, toughens tissues, encourages rapid muscle tone and improves a players ability to jump higher with more strength and agility in a short amount of time. Plyometric exercises help concentrate your strength, power and control in areas of your body that helps improve your muscular tone and power in the areas of the body that improves your jumping ability. These are not easy exercises, nor are they for everyone. One those persons or athletes whom are physically ready and able to push themselves to excellence should be working this program hard. Without proper training and guidance of the program, you may injure yourself. So be certain that your body can handle this type of rigorous exercise, and get a trainer that can help monitor and train you in the proper techniques and styles needed for optimum results.
Jump Soles
The new frontal platform shoes (Jump Soles) have been shown to dramatically improve the efficiency of plyometric exercises. Training in frontal platform shoes is increasingly becoming the method of choice for serious sprinters and jumpers. No other method develops as quickly, the specific muscle groups and neural connections essential for running speed and jumping height.
Jump Shoes - Increase Your Vertical Jump With Ease
By now, you have surely seen those shoes that look like high-heels tuned inside out. Jump Shoes have been in the marketplace for over a decade now and their effectiveness has been proven over and over again. Many people see these shoes and do not understand their benefit. It is simple, these shoes raise your heels off of the ground as you walk, forcing you to use your calves and quadriceps in all of your motion. These are the muscles that aid in you jumping higher, and if you wear the jump shoes for just 10 minutes of a workout, you won't have any more doubts about their effectiveness. When it comes to accessories that can help you jump higher, there are none more proven that these unique pieces of footwear.
Don't over do it
Platform shoes keep you off your heels, allowing a wider range of movement for your calf. Each jump is therefore more effective and can help you reach new heights. Many training programs will tell you to jump every day, hundreds or even thousands of times. This causes wear and tear on your body, especially your knees and back. Jumping fewer times with more effectiveness is the way to go, which is why platform shoes have been used for decades with great success. Because of this, our training program recommends only one to three workouts a week, depending on the season of your sport!
Increase Your Game by Increasing Your Jump
Many basketball players wonder how they can move their game to the next level. Today, more than ever, basketball is a game played 'above the rim'. This means that the most important feet movement is how high they can propel you in the air. If you want to increase your game, increase your jump. Point guards will look to you more if they think you can get to the ball. Increasing your jump will also make you quicker all-around, which will give you the edge when chasing a loose ball down the court. Take advantage of the tools that have been developed just to help increase your jump and you will be happier with your game
Basketball Before the Age of Jump
Many young basketball fans wouldn't even know that before the late 1970's there was no "slam dunk". There were no "alley oop's". There were certainly no slam dunk contests. Julius Erving changed how airborne jumping impacted the game of basketball when he showed the world what jumping really was. Before then, basketball was a game of set offenses and passing, passing, passing. Only a few truly dominant players like Wilt Chamberlain or Kareem Abdul Jabbar played "above the rim" until this time. Since then, players continue to change the game by astonishing crowds with jumps that seem to always get higher. To keep up with players today, get out the jump shoes and train away.
Increasing Your Vertical Jump
Recent basketball stars have made it abundantly clear that increasing your vertical jump can give you an edge on your opponents. How many times a night do we see highlights of a player who was able to convert an assist because they had just an extra second of time before landing to pass the ball? You can all but count on it every game. From Michael to Lebron, the game now requires you to be able to float as long as possible. Defense has adjusted to these changes as well which means you definitely need that extra time. Get the training equipment that can help you increase your vertical and do the drills that come with them.. You will be leaping higher in no time.
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