Increase Jumping Ability and Be A Better Basketball Player

Basketball is one of those sports that involve some of the most explosive skills that athletes can have. A sudden burst of speed towards the goal, a really quick and sneaky pass to a team mate, a very quick snatch to steal the ball, a sudden leap to execute an alley hoop or a rebound, a powerful jump to slam dunk the ball, all these are normally part of a basketball player's day at the office.

As you can see, jumping is an essential athletic skill that any basketball player must have to do well and in a game where height is usually considered might, a high jumping ability is usually considered big plus in a player's arsenal.

A 20 to 30 inch jump is not really that high and is still within the average jump height of an average basketball athlete. Theoretically, humans are capable of jumps up to 40 to 50 inches. Practically, not everyone reaches that potential due to a number of reasons.

But how do you jump higher? Can you really reach that jump height? The answer is: through training, YES, you can.

Ways to Jump Higher for Basketball

1. Good genes – a rare few have it easy. This isn't really an option for anyone as you are either gifted with it or not through the genetic lottery. Some are born predisposed to achieving above average jump heights through minimal effort or higher jump training. These guys are the lucky ones but the majority of athletes need a lot of work to jump higher in basketball.


2. Self-Training or DIY vertical jump training – information on the principles of increasing vertical jump is widely available and some people choose to go the DIY route by following advices on how to go about it which can be found online or offline. You can do it with the help of vertical training programs that can be bought online. These may be considered DIY training because training will be guided by a pre-written training programs and no jump trainer will be there to train you face to face.


3. Trainer Guided – some still go the traditional route of hiring a professional trainer to help them go through the training process how to increase your vertical jump. This is ideal scenario because you will have someone to watch over you all throughout the vertical jump drills and workouts and will be there for motivation and discipline. This option, however, is usually the most expensive option because you will need to pay for the professional services of the jump trainer. But there is an option that has solved this problem...


4. Online Trainer Guided – there are now some professional trainers that have started to utilize the power of the Internet and has started offering their services to basketball athletes to help them in making their vertical jump higher. One such trainer is Jacob Hiller of The Jump Manual. He offers his vertical jump program online and follows through with a one-on-one coaching style via online means (email, chat, videos, forum, etc.). Good news is that he offers his pro-level expertise at a significantly reduced cost compared to no. 3 option above.
   

Working to become a better basketball player requires some hard work for most athletes. If you wish to stay long in the basketball career, good training, aside from good genes, is needed. The internet generation is lucky because their options on how to achieve their athletic goals have been increased because of technology. Training on how to jump higher is one aspect of your basketball game that can be trained through a number of available ways. Make the wise choice for the sake of your basketball career.

Photo Credit: Sean Scarmack