How To Vertical Jump

Would you like to defy gravity? Have you ever watched an NBA basketball game and wondered what it feels like to sail over your opponents, only to slam down a dunk over one of the defenders heads? If you are like me, you know that one of the most majestic moves in basketball is the alley-oop and the dunk! Both of these are impossible to perfect without massive air time. The key to getting huge air is a powerful vertical jump that can allow you to reach the very limits of your potential in terms of athleticism. So, if you want to increase your vertical, how can you do it and what does it take?

First, in order to understand how to increase your vertical jump, you need to understand what it consists of. There are two types of vertical jump. One relies predominantly on brute strength to propel the jumper into the air. The other relies on tendon reflexes and stored energy. The first type is usually seen in people who jump off of two legs, and the second is usually seen in people who jump off of one leg. Some people use a mix of the two, and they can be seen to lead into a jump with a few steps only to hit the ground with both feet before exploding upward.

The key difference between the two types of jump is the source of the acceleration. In the first type, something known as speed strength is what allows the jumper to contract his muscles hard and synchronously to propel his/her body into the air. These types of jumpers usually have very powerful, muscular legs. They can increase their jumping ability by increasing their relative strength and speed strength. These two types of strength are most effectively augmented through squats and deadlifts; and Olympic lifts respectively.

The second type of jumper relies on stored kinetic energy in his tendons to send his both flying. You will notice that this type of jumper usually has a sizable run-up before leaving the ground, and their legs are amazingly skinny considering their jumping ability. This type of jumper actually uses their tendons as elastic springs, which they load with energy by bounding into their final step, then reversing direction suddenly and exploding into the air. This type of jumper can increase their abilities by increasing their limit strength as well as their plyometric abilities. Plyometric abilities are the ability to store and release kinetic energy at will.

Depending on what type of jumper you are, you will benefit from one type of training more than the other simply because you need to address your body's particular way of jumping. This can be found out simply by going into a jump naturally and taking note of what technique you use. With proper knowledge of what type of strength you have and what you need to improve, you can make massive gains on your vertical jumping abilities!