Dec 132009
 

Some people seem like they were just born to play sports. They appear to have a natural ability in using things like tennis or badminton rackets and baseball bats, they seem to always hit their target or goal easily, they seem faster, and they look like they have been blessed with an incredible physique that seemed to have been crafted effortlessly. They were the ones who were always picked first for the team back in school, the ones who are living an incredibly active lifestyle today, joining marathons and the like, and the ones who look like they are the ones lording it over the gym and running miles and miles on the treadmill without their lungs exploding.

With such people around, you might become a little bit discouraged about your own athletic abilities, especially if you are part of a sporting team, like maybe a local basketball or volleyball team, and think you have a long way to go before being one of its stand-out players. But feeling helpless and defeated won’t get you anywhere. Instead you should focus on honing the skills you need and studying the principles each game in order to improve your skills. As a basketball or a volleyball player, you have a lot of skills to develop, one of them being the ability to jump higher.

Jumping higher is a valuable skill in these two sports. In volleyball, with the ball being able to sail into the air way above everyone’s head, seemingly out of reach, you can hit it back if you can get high up into the air. In basketball, the basket is situated high above the court, and not everyone can make a slam dunk. When you learn how to jump higher, you can make these winning shots. Learning to jump higher, of course, is not just for you to become an excellent athlete. Being a high jumper entails work, and this work involves a lot of workouts that can help you become faster, stronger, and fitter, in turn making you healthier.

You can learn to jump higher using a variety of methods which you can learn from your fitness trainer or coach; all you have to do is indicate that you want your training regimen modified in order to make your body do higher jumps. You can also look up videos and resources online that can help you learn how to jump higher.

Remember that learning to jump higher takes dedication and work. So don’t be discouraged if results are taking a while. Just keep at it and soon, you’ll notice a big difference in your game.

Looking for basketball training equipment? We’ve got information on basketball shooting training equipment and tips on how to increase your vertical.

Nov 112009
 

Lebron James has quickly risen to be one of the best players in the NBA. So what has made him so great? Well, his 41″ vertical jump didn’t hurt. In fact, Lebron James’ vertical leap gives him a significant advantage over his competition. He can easily pull down rebounds, raise up to block shots, and throw down some powerful dunks. I can’t promise you that you will be dunking like Lebron, but if you implement the proper training program you CAN significantly increase your vertical leap.

If you want to increase your vertical leap then you need to strengthen the muscles used to propel you into the air. So which muscles do we want to focus on? We will get the most benefit from the quads, hamstrings and calves. These muscles are responsible for about 80% of your power when jumping.

The exercises I have below will not only strengthen these muscles but they will help you increase your vertical as well. So let’s take a look at them:

Heavy Squats – This is BY FAR the best overall exercise you can do for your vertical jump. It hits every muscle group that we are focusing on. Notice I said “Heavy” squats. When performing this exercise you should not be able to do more than 8 reps per set.

Paused Jump Squat – This is a good variation to the regular squat. Use a weight that is about 20% of your max. Squat down so that your thighs are parallel to the ground and then hold this position for 3 seconds. Next, EXPLODE UP and jump as high as you can. Do 3 sets of 8.

Sprinting – Sprints are an easy way to improve your explosive power, top speed and vertical leap. A few times per week you should perform 3-5 sets of 50 or 100 yard sprints.

An area that is often overlooked when trying to improve your vertical jump is your jumping technique. Just by implementing the correct form you can see an immediate increase of 2-4 inches. I know this from experience because this is an area that I had to focus on. For more information on the proper jumping technique visit the links I have below.

Are you interested in more information on Lebron James Vertical and how you can improve YOUR vertical leap? Then visit Brayden Fisher’s site at www.40inchvertical.net for the best exercises and workouts.

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