Jump Higher and Dunk on the Basketball Court – Increase Your Vertical Leap

Have you ever looked up at a 10 foot ring in awe, wishing you could jump higher and slam the basketball through the hoop with authority? You watch basketball on TV and look at the things those pros can do with the ball, wishing you could replicate some of that. Sure, it helps that some of those guys are 6 foot 9 with a clear height advantage, but when you see the small guy, that player that is 5 foot 9 gliding in the air like a helicopter and dunking with power, surely it must cross your mind that maybe it could be you leaping above the rest.

Now there are a select few people out there who are born with an incredible amount of athleticism. They’re the lucky ones, but for the rest of us, we all have to work that bit harder to be dunking a basketball, yes that includes even some big guys. I’m quite a tall guy myself and sure, I get up there, but I am surrounded by guys under 6 feet that are flying to the ring.

Why is that? Well, smaller guys have an initial disadvantage when it comes to dunking. They have a lot more aerial ground to cover so some work that much harder to get up there. How? Well, like any physical activity, exercise, training and diet are your answers.

Improve Your Diet

Don’t fret, nobody is going to suggest that you give up eating, and live off leaves. Diet doesn’t mean eat less, but it means eat smarter. Nutrition is a topic within itself really, but here are some pointers. Reduce consumption of saturated fats i.e. fried food. Try to eat complex carbohydrates i.e. brown bread instead of white bread. Most importantly, increase your protein intake – fish, poultry, meat, nuts and eggs.

Build Stronger legs

You need to build the foundation to enhance your jumping ability. Weight training exercises such as squats, dead lifts, leg curls and leg raises will help you build your muscles to handle repetitive jumping and movement.

Gain Speed and Explosiveness

This is extremely crucial and can really make the difference. Obviously jumping gets you up there, but to dunk you need to attack the rim also. Forget all these 30 minute slow jogs on the treadmill. Why not sprint every 20 seconds in a minute and spend the other 40 seconds jogging over a 15 minute period? That’s just one exercise that can aid your explosiveness.

Attempt to Jump Higher

Simply by jumping as much as possible. There are a few things you can do such as hopping on one leg repetitively until you feel the burn, then switch over to the other leg. Another exercise is to stand on the first step at the bottom of a staircase, feet edging off with your toes holding all your weight, then simply push your body weight with your toes then release down and repeat. There are an abundance of exercises you can check out to jump higher.

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