How To Jump Really High For Basketball

Being able to dunk is no easy task. It will take at least three months before you can seriously attempt dunking if you can't jump really high already, or are a 6 ft nothing rookie. So quit this window right now if you're not serious about this. It will take hard work, rest assured. Do you think Nate Robinson practised dribbling all day and then, suddenly, could dunk the lights out? Hell no! You've got to have a passion for this to carry through all the way. Dunking will also get you girls, respect and fill you with confidence. There's your inspiration.

If you're man enough, each and every step should be taken with absolute dedication - give it three months. Here they are:

• Lose Weight If you have less mass, the job of lifting yourself into the air becomes much easier, trust me. If you’ve practised jumping for a dunk, you’ll notice that it is much harder with the ball. Less weight around the leg area is especially important; look at Ray Allen’s calves when you have the chance. There are countless weight-loss programs so I won’t go into that. If you want any tips about weight-loss though, take these: eat regular small but healthy meals, breakfast is important and keep active.
• Build Strength Upper body strength will help to get more lift on your jump, but leg strength (calves especially) is most important. Again, there are all sorts of ways to do this, but I will embed a useful video below for increasing leg strength. Also, remember that stretching before and after workouts is extremely important.
• Increase Your Flexibilty I'm talking to you lanky boys out there especially! High jumpers are often very flexible. Increasing your flexibility will enhance the different ways you might jump in basketball. Whether or not you’re born very flexible, you can certainly improve this.
• Be Explosive Take a couple of quick/small steps right before your jump and lift yourself by swinging your arms upwards. Not to drag on about how many degrees you should bend and the technical plyometrics of jumping, just watch how the pros do it and imitate . You will find yourself in different situations during a game, so you should practice executing from awkward spots on the floor – like swinging baseline around a defender and exploding for the reverse.
• Practise Jumping This step complements all the others. If you nail the last four steps you’ll have potential to jump higher and the know-how to jump in theory; that’s not enough. You’ve got to jump, jump and jump. With the ball, without the ball or with two balls. Make sure you jump high when shooting and laying it up. This way you’ll become better at finishing around the rim. Also, practice reverse layups – they become very useful in game situations.