December 15, 2024   |   Tagged Skills

How to Increase Your Vertical for Basketball

Increasing your basketball vertical is a matter of patience and daily dedication. It can take up to 18 months before you see major results. Keep up the discipline. Box training is the best method for improvement. One Montana high school team of non-jumping athletes implemented the box jump system into their daily practice and at the end of four years 8 of 10 student-athletes could dunk and 5 could reverse dunk. Two brothers whose father was the coach and oversaw the jump training had verticals of 46 and 42 inches.

A great workout for gaining inches on your vertical doesn’t need to be complex. All you need is a box. Start at the box height you feel most comfortable with and increase from there. We recommend a 24-inch box to start.

1. Box Jumps -10 reps (jump with two feet from the ground onto a box)
2. Approach Jumps - 10 reps (approach the box and jump onto the box)
3. Seated Jumps - 8 reps (sit on the box, explode up off the ground as fast as you can, land on two feet on the box)
4. One Leg Lunge Jumps – 12 total (lunge side to side landing and pushing off from your outside leg)
5. Quick feet - 30 sec. (find a line on the court, jump as fast as you can across the line, jump with two feet or one foot X2 and jump front to back and from side to side)
6. Off the Box - 10 reps (sit on a box or complete an air squat, from seated position jump up and onto box)
7. Block Jumps - 10 reps (feet shoulder width apart, jump up in front of a wall and touch on the wall as high as possible)
8. Jump rope- 45 sec. (single unders)
9. Jump rope-15-20 reps (double unders)

Repeat steps 1-9 twice.

One of the most valuable things to focus on is to *land softly. Absorbing the impact of your jump when you land soft not only prevents injury, but it also increases the amount of strength you gain with each jump. It also teaches you how to be in control of your body. If you can learn to stabilize and control your body movements, you can create a more solid foundation to increase your vertical through training. Be intentional about landing soft and making each rep count.

Focus on stability. Implement core work (plank, sit-ups, v-ups) into your jump workout too. A strong core will help your body. A strong muscle is typically a fast muscle.

Many collegiate basketball teams utilize jumping rope as both jump training and cardio training. Single unders are a great way to stay in shape while sharpening your fast twitch muscles. We would also suggest adding double unders to your routine. This is when the jump rope goes under your feet twice during one single jump in the air.

Use a calendar to lay out your workout and stay committed. Short and daily is better than longer weekly is the goal. Check in with advisors who can assess your form to prevent injury. Many cities have specialists that can evaluate how you move as an athlete and recommend changes if your are doing things that lead to injury.

Visualization is important. Just like anything, energy is a barometer of health. If you can start the momentum going, your vertical will gain momentum and soon you will be smashing on your opponents!

About NBC Basketball
NBC Basketball began in 1971 under the vision of NBC Camps President Fred Crowell. NBC stands for Nothing Beats Commitment and the philosophy that our daily habits reveal our future. For more information about this program visit Basketball at www.nbccamps.com.