Knowledge about how to jump higher in basketball has come a long way. Biologists, doctors, and even mechanical engineers have studied the elements of jumping. Advanced technology has been applied to the field of biomechanics, and we now have enough answers to help everyone improve their jumping ability.
There are many different elements to consider when studying the art of jumping. First, the bottom line is that you have to break the law of gravity and get off the ground. Secondly, in order to do this with the style of basketball being played today, you have to be quick about it or you will have half the other team hanging off of you like a bunch of cheap necklaces, keeping you earthbound. You need the right equipment, conditioning, training, and attitude.
You must take off from a solid, supportive platform. You need to really look at your feet and where you put pressure when preparing to jump. Get shoes that put the right springboard under those pressure points. Otherwise, it’s like trying to jump with only your toes on the edge of a step, with nothing but air to push against for most of your foot.
Never sacrifice freedom of movement for a flashy look. Dunk the basketball, score the points, win the game, and then dress the part of the star. What a waste it is to see someone work so hard, only to lose some of their momentum and power because their clothes got in the way.
Conditioning is the price of the ticket to the show. If a person is wheezing like a freight train at the wrong end of the court, it doesn’t really matter if he can jump since he never gets the chance to handle the ball. There are excellent basketball training aids that can help you build up your overall stamina to keep you with the pack. Don’t get left behind because you are out of condition.
The next issue is how to break free of gravity. That is where basketball training aids can provide invaluable help. You need the critical combination of muscle power and speed to launch you into the stratosphere to get the job done. A few players are able to play brute force style basketball and force their way up, but basketball is a long game and that kind of play really sucks up energy fast. Even the strongest players can benefit from using the proper training aids to improve the payoff for their efforts.
To get the job done, you will need strength, speed and balance. Strength comes from the major muscle groups you use for jumping – the hamstrings on the back of your thigh and the quadriceps on the front side. Don’t ignore the importance of the gastrocnemius, or calf muscles, in building strength either. These large muscle groups form the workhorses of your jump – the raw power that gets you off the ground. Use training aids to assess how your large muscle groups rate now and what to do to build more muscle mass and capacity so that they can work even harder for you.
Speed is not just an inborn trait. While some people have more natural speed than others, with proper training everyone can improve in this area. One of the biggest mistakes athletes make is to accidentally train for the wrong results. More laps around the court will not give you jumping speed. If you want your movements to become more explosive, then you have to practice exploding! Quick, forceful muscle contractions depend on different fibers and muscle memory than long-term actions that call for sustained power. Train for what you really need.
Balance is the underrated little brother of this winning trio. Just because you are strong and fast does not guarantee that you will be steady enough to get into position to dunk the ball. The muscles required for balance are small, located in odd places, and they generally never bulge. But if they fail, you will be kissing the floor a lot more than the trophy. If you want to know how to dunk a basketball, your body has to know how to keep you steady enough to shoot straight.
That’s where balance comes in. It is hard for these tiny muscles, situated all over your trunk, hips, legs, and feet, to override those large muscle groups you have been so diligently building. Balance muscles don’t do solo work. There are dozens of tiny muscles that have to work in coordination to keep you upright. Just as you and other players have to practice as a team, so do your balance muscles. Not only do you need to strengthen them, you need to give them practice at working together. Focusing on balance gives a whole new meaning to the idea of a personal support team.
So now you’ve got it all – equipment, conditioning, training, strength, speed, and balance. The final key to jumping higher in basketball involves attitude. Do you see yourself as a bull elephant that can occasionally muster the energy to break free from the ground, or do you see yourself as a condor, totally at home in the air and able to part ways with the earth at a moment’s notice? If you dedicate yourself to learning how to jump higher in basketball, use the proper training aids, and do the work, you are sure see big improvements in your air time.To get the job done, you will need strength, speed and balance. Strength comes from the major muscle groups you use for jumping – the hamstrings on the back of your thigh and the quadriceps on the front side. Don’t ignore the importance of the gastrocnemius, or calf muscles, in building strength either. These large muscle groups form the workhorses of your jump – the raw power that gets you off the ground. Use training aids to assess how your large muscle groups rate now and what to do to build more muscle mass and capacity so that they can work even harder for you.
Speed is not just an inborn trait. While some people have more natural speed than others, with proper training everyone can improve in this area. One of the biggest mistakes athletes make is to accidentally train for the wrong results. More laps around the court will not give you jumping speed. If you want your movements to become more explosive, then you have to practice exploding! Quick, forceful muscle contractions depend on different fibers and muscle memory than long-term actions that call for sustained power. Train for what you really need.
Balance is the underrated little brother of this winning trio. Just because you are strong and fast does not guarantee that you will be steady enough to get into position to dunk the ball. The muscles required for balance are small, located in odd places, and they generally never bulge. But if they fail, you will be kissing the floor a lot more than the trophy. If you want to know how to dunk a basketball, your body has to know how to keep you steady enough to shoot straight.
That’s where balance comes in. It is hard for these tiny muscles, situated all over your trunk, hips, legs, and feet, to override those large muscle groups you have been so diligently building. Balance muscles don’t do solo work. There are dozens of tiny muscles that have to work in coordination to keep you upright. Just as you and other players have to practice as a team, so do your balance muscles. Not only do you need to strengthen them, you need to give them practice at working together. Focusing on balance gives a whole new meaning to the idea of a personal support team.
So if you want to jump higher in basketball, then I highly recommend that you go check out the jump manual to see how you can increase your vertical in less than two weeks.
