Basketball - Vertical Jump Manual

There are a number of systems or programs to improve your vertical jump that are available on the internet. The options are endless. With so much choice how is an athlete to know what is right for them? The truth is that the vast majority of programs are based around propaganda and hype. A lot of these have been written by ghostwriters who may know little about the topic, for internet marketers out to make a quick sale.

So how do you tell a sales program from one that gives you the best chance of improving your vertical jump:

1. You cannot place a timeline on a program. There are no shortcuts and it takes smart and consistent training. It's impossible to promise anyone an increase of "X" number of inches in "X" amount of time because everyone is different.

2. Exhaustive reps and set. It is far better to do 10 good focused powerful reps of a drill than to pound away at 5 sets of 100 rim touches. Research indicates that over 75% of the benefits of any kind of workout session come in the first set.

3. Beware of overtraining or else you will be robbed of the muscle building testosterone.

4. Vanilla flavored programs which prescribe Squat overkill resulting from mixing strength training day workouts with speed/plyo days & poor plyometric training guidelines.

So to get on the right track you really need to consider what your goal is. How fast do you want to run a 40 yard dash, how high do you want to jump? 36", 40" or higher? You also need to be aware of your own body composition, muscle fiber type. Track the progress you have made and from what exercises. You need to know whether you need more muscle base or more speed/elastic strength and the best ways to do it.

Finally you'll need to cater your workout sessions to your personality. If you get bored doing a particular exercise quit for a few weeks or get some music to pump you up and keep your going.

Keep your sessions short - of no more than 30 mins and don't be afraid to add other skills such dribbling between sets.

The Jump Manual is simply the most intense and most effective jump training regimen available.

• Learn why Strength Quickness = Explosion and correct principles and exercises for increasing both.


• Learn the 9 variables of an incredible vertical and how to increase improve in each on to create an explosive synergy.


• Learn why most athletes miss out on strength and muscle gains by neglecting a few highly neglected nutrition practices.


• Learn how flexibility, balance, and form greatly affect your explosion potential and how to capitalize.


• Gain access to the Jumpers Forum where you can collaborate with other like minded athletes and find out what is working for them.


• Get UNLIMITED e-mail support to guarantee that ALL your questions are answered.


• Learn why most athletes are training harder and still getting less results.

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"I recommend the Jump Manual to any athlete who is serious about maximizing their quickness and vertical explosion. I have seen the program work time and time again. It's an intense regimen but there are tremendous gains to be had."

- Brandon Peterson, Former Strength and Conditioning Coach from Utah Valley University.

"I tried everything man! Air Alert, Strength shoes, plyos you name it I tried it. Your program made sense and I gave it a shot. I gained 13 inches in in 12 weeks and now I can 360 dunk with 2 hands. Every time I play people always notice. I recommended to our coach that the whole team does the work-out cause i'm also a whole lot quicker. Seriously... Thanks!"

- Wayne - Kansas City, Missouri

"What I was most surprised about the training program was how little time it took each day to get those kind of results. 2 weeks after doing the training I was jumping higher. I was quicker and dunking easily. My training will never be the same and I would recommend without hesitation to all my team mates. Thanks again."

- Stephen W - Ontario, Canada

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50 Rep Rythm Squats: You should always start your workout with this exercise and you will only perform one all-out work set after a good warm-up. Try to go as heavy as possible for your one set. A good goal is about 90% of what your max full squat is. Basically, you will perform 50 quarter-squats as fast as possible. Do the first 10 reps exploding onto your toes, then on reps 11-20, keep your heels down on the way up. Then , explode onto your toes again while performing reps 21-30, keep your heels down for reps 31-40 and then finish the final 10 reps by exploding onto your toes again. Warning - your legs will hurt like mad - but your vertiucal jump will be get better all the more for doing it.

Side Box Jumps: These are an explosive hopping and jumping drill. They involve putting an box or similar obstacle (the height of the obstacle can vary but higher will be more effective) next to you. You then proceed to jump sideways over box and then back.

Weighted box jumps: A variation of side box jumps but instead of jumping sideways you place the obstacle infront of you and jump over and back while holding weights. This exercise will condition your body so that when you jump without weights, your jump will increase dramatically.

Weighted Squats: Again a variation of squats which can help build strength in the legs. This is where you hold weights in your hand and squat.

Static Hip-Flexor Stretch: Get in a lunge position with your left knee on the ground and your right foot as far forward as possible. Drive your hips as far forward as you can, while keeping your chest up. Try to get your left thigh 45 degrees to the floor. Raise your left hand as high as you can and twist slightly to your right, looking over your right shoulder and reaching over your head. You should feel a stretch in the left hip flexor as well as your abs. Perform 2 sets of 30 seconds and then switch sides.

Bulgarian Split Squats: This is basically a single leg squat, with the non-working leg elevated on a bench behind you. Perform this exercise by holding a dumbbell in each hand, descend until the back knee touches the floor and then explode back up to the start position.

Single-leg depth jump: This is a variation on the normal depth jump, and is designed to increase the muscle power in your legs. It is a very effective exercise for jumpers making it a perfect addition to any basketball players training regime. It should be noted however, that this exercise should only be undertaken by those that have had a high level of prior plyometric training, because it involves a greater risk of strain to the back and legs.

Weighted Ab Crunch: Your abs and the lower back are the link from your upper to lower body. It's also resposible for the tranfer of force from your lower to upper body. So even if you have really strong arms and legs, it won't help much if you have pathetic abs. So what you need to do is to work on your abs like how you would work on your other limbs.

If done well, this exercise will increase your vertical leap substantially. Do weighted crunches on a Swiss ball, standing rotational work using high and low cables and medicine ball training. Add leg raises as well for added effect and effort.

Jumping Rope: This exercise is most definitely encouraged because not only will it benefit your vertical jump, but it is also a good all round cardiovascular workout. A great way to work on increasing your vertical jump is to skip rope. This exercise will definitely help your fitness levels, and at the same time work on conditioning your legs.

Toe Raises: You must be standing upright in a regular position. As you stand in this regular position raise yourself up onto the tips of your toes, holding your position for a little while, and then gently and slowly lower yourself down again until your feet are flat on the ground.

Stair Running
Engaging in running up and down stairs will definitely help you with your jumping exercise as well as agility, strength and speed.

Deep Knee Bends: Start in the upright position. Slowly bend at the knees whilst making sure your back is erect. Slowly crouch down as low as you possibly can, and then just as slowly raise yourself up again. As you progress you will find that you're able to do more and more deep knee bends.

To find out more about the exercises that NBA Pro's are using and how to double your own vertical jump, we recommend this guide.