| By :
Glenn Devey
They say there are only two certainties in life - death and tax. I think there's a third - all serious basketball and volleyball players want to know how to increase a vertical jump on the court. Some of you will be quite far down that path, others less so. Either way, here are some exercises that everyone can use and incorporate into their training. It will help whilst doing this process to stetch your muscles. The more relaxed your muscles are the higher you will end up jumping. Since your goal is to increase a vertical leap, you will need to be at your peak. Before a game or your practices, stretch out for ten minutes. A great way that the pros build up their leap is by exercising their legs with weights. What you will need to do is attach a small ankle weight to your ankles and work out with it on. Never keep it attached for long periods of time, and avoid overstraining your muscles with weights that are too heavy. This should just be enough to cause some resistance, and as you get more fit, the amount of the weight can increase. Whilst training hard and pushing yourself hard is paramount, so is safety. Because of this, you must find shoes designed to support your ankle and arch. Athletes wear these shoes because you can comfortably jump higher and more effectively as well. While some shoes might make a claim they can help you increase height, understand that the only thing that will work is persistence and practice at your end. Another area you must work on is your fast twitch section of muscles. This is also a part of how to improve a vertical leap. This could be the area that the best players are working on that you might not be. It will though prove to be the most essential part of the entire workout process to gain you height and power. In fact, many people who do this are impressed by how quickly they will increase their height as well. Firstly, establish a solid base with both feet on the ground. Your fast twitch is the sets of muscles that help to jump start your movement. With a box in front of you, jump up on it as high as you can in a safe manner. This should be done from a standing position with no running or other movement before the jump. As you land on the top of the box, immediately spring back up as high as possible and forwards onto the ground. Do this several times as you build up your muscles and remember that your continued practice is what will deliver the results that you are looking for. If you only do this a couple of times it will take longer for you to reach your maximum potential in comparison to doing this regularly. Just remember that practice is relative as well. Whilst you are working out and striving to increase your vertical, remember that it is possible to overdo it too. Keep a healthy balance between workout and rest and watch as you start jumping higher in no time at all.
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