Amanda Knapp
Jumping ability is an important skill in basketball, especially for layups and dunks. To increase your vertical leap, you can perform certain exercises, lose weight, and perfect your technique. This includes exercises that work your leg muscles, such as jump squats, deadlifts, calf raises, power skips, and box jumps. You can also try jumping with a slightly weighted medicine ball, or doing kettlebell swings, medicine ball throws, and Olympic lifting to improve the strength of your posterior chain. It's important to be cautious when increasing the volume of jumping activities to avoid injury, especially to the knees.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Jumping ability | Practise jumping with and without a ball. |
| Strength | Increase strength and overall force-producing ability. |
| Special strength | Use a slightly weighted medicine ball (1-2kg) or heavier med balls (3-5kg) for vertical medicine ball throws. |
| Exercises | Jump squats, deadlifts, calf raises, power skips, box jumps, and rope jumps. |
| Technique | Lose weight and perfect your technique. |
| Training | Avoid high-volume plyometrics, which can lead to knee injuries. Focus on long-term training programs. |
| Speed | Increase your horizontal speed before jumping to jump higher. |
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What You'll Learn
Exercises to improve jumping with a ball
To improve your jumping with a ball, you must practice jumping with a ball. Jumping with a ball is a different motor skill than jumping without one. You can also experiment with various takeoff speeds and degrees of knee bend.
- Box jumps are a great exercise for strengthening the muscles used in launching yourself off the ground. Stand in front of a knee-high bench or box with your arms raised. Then, lower your body as you drive your arms down and hips back, and raise your arms as you jump onto the box.
- Depth jumps are an alternative form of box jumps. For this exercise, you begin on top of the box and jump downward. Then, immediately jump back onto the box after you land. This trains your body to better use elastic energy for propelling yourself off the ground.
- Vertical medicine ball throws with heavier med balls (3-5kg) are great for improving general upper-body power and linkage of the hips. This exercise also works well when done on the tail end of a depth jump from a low box (30-60cm).
- Kettlebell swings help an athlete to gain a more powerful loading and elastic release of the posterior chain, particularly the hamstrings, glutes, and lats.
- Deadlifts are a great way to teach an athlete to perform an effective and powerful hip hinge, allowing greater force transmission through the legs with a ball in hand.
- Mountain climber progression involves incorporating a jump (burpee) into the series. This exercise targets and builds your quad muscles, which can help your explosive power. It also recruits your glutes and hamstrings for added support.
Additionally, you can try exercises that work your leg muscles, such as jump squats, calf raises, power skips, and rope jumping.
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Strength training
Firstly, it is important to note that most basketball players are not physically developed enough to tolerate high-volume plyometrics without a risk of injury, especially to the knees. Therefore, it is crucial to have a well-rounded strength training program that focuses on building overall body strength and not just the legs.
There are various exercises that can help improve your strength and power, specifically in the posterior chain. Deadlifting, kettlebell swings, medicine ball throws, and Olympic lifting are great ways to target these muscle groups. When using a medicine ball, it is recommended to start with a slightly weighted ball of around 1-2kg to improve jumping with a ball. For upper body power, you can try vertical medicine ball throws with heavier med balls (3-5kg) after performing a depth jump from a low box.
Other exercises that target the leg muscles include jump squats, calf raises, power skips, and box jumps. Box jumps are a great way to strengthen the muscles used in launching yourself off the ground. Start with a knee-high bench or box and perform 5-8 jumps in a set, completing 1-2 sets depending on your strength.
By focusing on strength training and giving it time and effort, you will be able to increase your jumping ability and become a high jumper in basketball.
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Losing weight
Firstly, it's important to assess whether you are overweight. If you are, then losing weight can reduce the risk of injuries and improve your overall health. Losing weight can be beneficial for your joints, especially if you're an older player. It can also improve your overall agility and speed, which will help you jump higher.
However, weight loss should be approached with caution. It's important to ensure you're still getting the right nutrients and maintaining a healthy weight for your height and build. Losing too much weight can be detrimental to your health and energy levels, and may even reduce your jumping ability. Therefore, a balanced approach is best. Focus on a healthy diet and ensure you're consuming the right number of calories for your activity levels.
In addition to weight loss, you should also focus on building strength. This includes exercises that work your leg muscles, such as jump squats, deadlifts, calf raises, power skips, and box jumps. These exercises will help you generate more power and improve your jumping ability.
Finally, perfect your jumping technique. This includes practising your form, such as keeping your body upright and swinging your arms to generate upward momentum. You can also try "hopping into your jump shot", as recommended by basketball coach Ryan Tremblay. By combining weight loss with strength training and technique improvement, you'll be able to jump higher and improve your overall basketball performance.
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Perfecting your technique
Jumping with a basketball in your hands is a different motor skill than jumping without one. To improve your jumping technique with a basketball, you must practice jumping with the ball. You can also try jumping with a slightly weighted medicine ball (1-2kg) to improve your strength.
For a more advanced strength exercise, try vertical medicine ball throws with heavier med balls (3-5kg). You can also do these on the tail end of a depth jump from a low box (30-60cm). This will help improve your upper body power and hip linkage. Another great exercise for improving your strength and power is the kettlebell swing, which will help you gain a more powerful loading and elastic release of the posterior chain, particularly the hamstrings, glutes, and lats.
Other exercises that work your leg muscles and improve your jumping technique include jump squats, deadlifts, calf raises, power skips, and box jumps. Box jumps are a great way to strengthen the muscles used in launching yourself off the ground. To do a box jump, stand in front of a knee-high bench or box with your arms raised. Then, lower your body as you drive your arms down and hips back, and raise your arms up as you jump onto the box. Do 5-8 jumps in a set and perform 1-2 sets, depending on your strength and experience.
Increasing your horizontal speed in the time before jumping is another way to increase the height of your jumps. You can also try "hopping into your jump shot." To do this, catch the ball at the same time your non-dominant foot steps out, then bend your knees and jump.
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Plyometrics training
Plyometric training is a highly effective method for basketball players to improve their jumping ability, linear sprint speed, change-of-direction speed, balance, and muscle strength. This form of training is particularly useful for basketball due to the sport's explosive nature, which requires players to be able to generate force quickly and efficiently.
The purpose of plyometric exercises is to teach the muscles to reach maximum strength levels in the shortest time possible. This is achieved through the ""stretch-shortening cycle," which consists of two phases: the stretching of the involved muscles, followed by their explosive contraction. By training the brain and central nervous system to activate muscles quickly, plyometrics can lead to rapid and significant improvements in jumping ability.
Plyometric exercises for basketball often focus on vertical jumping, as this skill is crucial for layups, dunks, and blocking. One such exercise involves standing under a basketball rim and attempting to tap the rim with your hands. After landing, you immediately jump again to touch the rim. This drill emphasizes minimizing ground contact time and can be adapted for weaker athletes by performing it in front of a wall or using the backboard.
Another popular plyometric exercise is the box jump, which strengthens the muscles used for jumping. This exercise involves standing in front of a box or bench and performing a jumping motion, driving your arms down and hips back, before raising your arms and jumping onto the box. Depth Jumps are a variation where you begin on top of the box and jump down before immediately jumping back up, training your body to utilize elastic energy for propulsion.
Plyometric training is an excellent way to improve your jumping ability in basketball, and when combined with other exercises, strength training, and technique refinement, you can significantly enhance your vertical leap.
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Frequently asked questions
Box jumps are a great exercise for strengthening the muscles used to launch yourself off the ground. You can also do jump squats, deadlifts, calf raises, power skips, and kettlebell swings.
You can increase your vertical jump by increasing your horizontal speed before jumping, performing special strength exercises, and losing weight.
Special strength is light, fast, and specific work relative to the athlete's needs. For example, a track and field jumper may use barbell skips with 50 kg to improve single-leg jump power.
