Adding inches to your vertical jumping through jump-specific training not only improves your jump shot, but can help you move quicker up and down the court. Plyometric techniques are one of the best ways to improve jumping ability. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, plyometric exercises train your muscles to fire off faster, increasing their ability to use more energy together at once. This leads to more explosive movements that help you jump higher.
Stretching
Before you start exploding with plyometric fever, it’s important that your muscles are properly warmed up. According to the American Council on Exercises, stretching helps limber up the muscles and connective tissue. This decreases the risk of sprains and strains. After a 5 minute warm up jog or the equivalent, make sure to stretch out your hamstrings, quadriceps, calves, groin and hip flexors.
Forward Jumping: Stationary
Forward jumping is one plyometric exercise you can try that focuses on training the muscles that are responsible for propelling your body forward and through the air.
Stand with your feet and legs together and slowly squat down. Bring your elbows slightly back behind you to prepare to throw them forward during the jump. Launch yourself as far as you can forward and land in the same position.
Try jumping forward in this manner ten times. Then turnaround and repeat. Jumping back and forth is one set. Do four sets.
Forward Jumping: Running
This exercise is a variation of the forward jump technique, only this one requires you to run and jump off of one leg. It’s recommended that you train both legs equally so they are as balanced in strength as possible.
To perform the exercise, run for about ten yards and quickly bound up and forward as far as you can, landing on both feet. Think of long jumping. Repeat this run and jump pattern again, only this time launch off the opposite leg. Try doing 20 jumps for each leg.
Touch Jumping
Touch jumping is a technique that improves your jumping ability by challenging you to touch a marked point on a wall or similar object. To perform this exercise, find a wall. The wall should be near an object you can step on so you can make high marks. These marks are what you will be trying to touch each time you jump. Chalk is an effective marker.
Start by marking an area on the wall that is one-and-a-half times your height. So, if you’re 70 inches tall, you would mark the touch point 105 inches up on the wall. This is your starting touch point. Jump and touch this area ten times. If you can do it ten times without stopping, raise the touch point another couple of inches. Continue to raise it as your vertical jump improves.
Box Jumping
Box jumping, like touch jumping, is a technique that helps you work on your absolute vertical jump--jumping as high as you can from a stationary position. If you don’t have a box try using hurdles. The box or hurdle should be about two feet off the ground to start.
To perform this exercise, jump from the ground onto the box and then back down. If using a hurdle, completely clear the hurdle by jumping over it. If this height is too easy, raise the height six to 12 inches. Continue to raise the height as your vertical jump improves. Do 3 sets with ten jumps per set.
References
- "ACSM’s Resources for the Personal Trainer”; American College of Sports Medicine; 2010
- "American Council on Exercise: Personal Trainers Manual"; Cedric X. Bryant; 2003
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