The average NBA basketball player has a vertical of close to 30 inches. Michael Jordan is rumored to have had a 48-inch vertical. That allows players to get rebounds, get over defenders, dunk, and get to the rim quicker.
Learn how Colorado Springs basketball players add inches with vertical jump training.
Four Things That Improve Vertical Jump
There are technically four things you can do to improve your vertical jump. The first is force production, your strength component. How much force can you put into the ground to leave the ground?
Next is rate of force development: how quickly you can put that force into the ground. It’s one thing to squat 600 lb, but without rate of force development, that will limit your vertical jump.
Vertical Jump Training For Basketball Players
Next is stored energy: what you can do from repeated effort. Muscles and tendons can store energy elastically just like a rubber band, also known as a stretch-shortening cycle. And last is technique, since bad technique immediately limits how high you can get off the ground.
Three Jump Patterns in Basketball
There are three ways you’re primarily going to jump in basketball. The first is a single-leg jump, like a layup or dunking off one leg. Next is a double-leg jumping pattern, like grabbing a rebound or a two-hand dunk.
Then there are repeated effort jumps, jumping successfully multiple times, like jumping two or three times for a rebound. You want to make sure you’re developing each pattern, not limiting your game to just one.
Getting a Baseline Measure
To improve your vertical jump, test it first using a vert or tape on a wall. If you have a 20-inch or less vertical, your big limiting factor is total force production and strength training.
If you’re in the 21 to 25 inch range, you have decent general strength, so focus on power production and rate of force development. Once you get past 25 inches, work on jumping technique and more advanced methods. Genetics do matter, so understand you may not reach a 36-inch vertical, but you can still improve your vertical to improve performance.
Strength Exercises to Build Into Training
If you need to focus on strength, especially with a lower vertical jump, these are five go-to exercises for sports training. First is a general squat pattern: back squat, front squat, box squat, or belt squat, done relatively heavy.
Next is a single-leg squat pattern: split squats, lunges, step-ups, skater squats, Bulgarian split squats. Third is the hex bar deadlift, which mimics a lot of the double-leg vertical jump stance.
Number four is the RDL, or a heavy hinge pattern with a barbell or dumbbells, which develops the glutes and hamstrings. Last is calf raises, seated or standing, which help finish that triple extension to get the toe off and keep the Achilles tendons and ankles happy.
Power Development Training
If you’re looking to improve power, there are three go-to methods. Number one is the clean, hang clean, power clean, or clean from blocks, working on triple extension and rate of force development.
Early on, jumps work better than cleans, since they’re easier to teach. Seated box jumps, regular box jumps, hurdle hops, and weighted jumps with light dumbbells (5 to 15 lb) work well. Lastly, dynamic effort squatting and deadlifting: move the bar as fast as humanly possible with a submaximal weight.
Reactive Training for Advanced Athletes
For athletes with a super high vertical already pushing new limits, there are three reactive training methods. The first is depth drops and jumps: picking a high box, coming off it, and focusing on force absorption or getting overload.
Next is repeated jumps: doing jumps successfully over and over for a long period, teaching the body to store energy more efficiently. Last is contrast training and post-activation potentiation: take a heavy load for two or three reps at 80% of one-rep max or higher, then immediately move into a lighter variation like a box jump.
Sample Two-Day Training Template
For a sub-25-inch vertical, a two-day-a-week split works. On day one, pair seated box jumps, three sets of five, with pogo hops, three sets of 15 to 20 seconds.
Next is a front squat or back squat, starting at three sets of five and building to four sets of three over four weeks, paired with a hip mobility exercise. Then a single-leg component, hand supported single leg RDL, three sets of 8 to 10 per side.
On day two, split squat jumps and a hang clean, three sets of three per side, building over the month. Next is the hex bar deadlift, building from three sets of three to four sets of one, paired with hip mobility. Then Bulgarian split squats, three sets of 8 to 12 per side.
