How to Jump Higher - Basketball Players Can Increase Their Vertical Leap With

[Melba Hemingway]

Basketball players have a lot of reasons to wonder how to jump higher.
A higher jump can be of huge benefit to players in all positions, and
nothing feels better than jamming the ball into the net with a huge
dunk. Here are some simple tips on how to improve your vertical.
First of all, you need to hit the gym and specifically train for gains
in your vertical leap. This may seem obvious, but too many guys go to
the gym and do general workouts, or ignore their legs all together in
the weight room, and then wonder why they can't dunk.
When you think of jumping, it's useful to think of it as a sort of
combined squat and calf raise. You bend your legs to load them, and
then start your push off like the positive of a squat, and then the
end of the jumping movement has you push off through your toes, like a
calf raise. As you probably guessed, these two exercises are
outstanding ones for you to focus on when trying to improve your jump
height.
One other tip to remember is that when you do train for improving jump
height, you need to train for power, not just strength. Power refers
to how quickly force is applied over a distance, so you need to train
for fast, explosive movement. When you do your squats and calf raises,
do the positive part of the moves explosively (while always keeping
proper form of course!)
Following these simple tips will definitely help you improve your jump
height, and if you stick with it and dedicate yourself to consistently
training specifically for vertical leap, your improvements will be
solid.
However, these exercises aren't everything. There are a lot of other
aspects that go into reaching the maximum potential of your vertical
leap, and for maximum results you should consider getting a full
program for maximizing your leap, or consult a trainer who can help
you design a complete workout.
Whatever you do, remember, you can jump higher with training, so stick
with it, and the gains you see on the court will make you a more
dominant player.