by Bella Cooper

Created on: April 20, 2009

The best and fastest ways to increase your vertical jump

Some of the greatest basketball players are not tall. For example, Spud Webb is one of the best basketball players ever and was only 5'6. To make up for your lack of height, there are several exercises that you can do to increase your vertical jump. With practice, you could learn to dunk the ball soon.

Here is a guide describing some easy exercises that can increase your ability to jump high:

Jump Rope

Jumping rope can be a fantastic way to get an aerobic, physical workout while at the same time strengthening the muscles that are important for jumping. Each time you work out you should plan to jump rope for about 20 minutes. To give your calf muscles an bonus workout, you should try to land on your toes after each jump.

Toe Lifts

Toe lifts are another great to strengthen your calf muscles. To do these, slowly lift up your heels so that you are standing on the very tips of your toes, and then bring them back down. For each workout, you should repeat this exercise thirty times per set, doing three sets total.

Single Leg Jumps

For this exercise, stand on each leg at a time and jump for twenty repetitions.

Weighted Jumps

Another way to work on your vertical jump is to carry weights while jumping. This will help to improve leg strength. Plan to do ten jumps per set, three sets total.

Knee Bends

While holding your back straight, bend your needs and crouch slowly to the floor as low as you can, and then stand back up. Knee bends can help to improve the flexibility and strength of your leg muscles. Start out doing ten bends per set, and three sets total.

Plyometrics

Plyometrics have been very successful for athletes in improving performance in jumping. This form of training focuses on training your nerve cells to stimulate a certain pattern of muscle contraction to result in an explosive jumping response. For specific advice on plyometric exercises check out: http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/plyometrics.htm l

If you want to increase your vertical jump, you should plan to do these exercises regularly three to five days a week. Start out with a moderate schedule and build up the repetitions gradually, to prevent injuries. Be careful to to overdo it, because if you stop working out altogether, your muscles will weaken quickly. Flexibility is also quite important, so be sure to stretch before and after each workout, in particular your hamstrings, flexors and glutes.

Good luck jumping high!

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