I guess I should start by saying that my name is Michael and less than two years ago I graduated from college. Back then, as most men are passionate about basketball and also competitive, one of my friends and I decided to a race against each other and see who could be the first one to dunk.
I actually had a little advantage, as I was able to touch the rim, but only with my fingertips. Unfortunately, after a month and a half my friend won the competition: he dunked first.
Even though I lost, I was obviously on the right path, so I decided not to give up. I remember that after about two more weeks I finally made it. Training was a little hard and more than a lot boring, but I was able to focus and the results paid off. I managed to get from a 20 inch leap to a 25 inch leap in about eight weeks (which for a 6 feet tall guy like me is enough to dunk). Fortunately, I managed to add about 15 more inches to that later on, just read on to find out how.
(Click HERE to find out what exercises I used to gain 5-6 extra inches in about 2 months; read on to find out how to achieve that faster.)
Obviously, increasing my leap by 5 inches was great, but I have heard of people gaining as much as 20-25 inches, so I decided to do a little research. I immediately ran into a program that cost about $100, if I recall correctly, that seemed extremely well organized. Unfortunately I couldn't buy it, as the website that handled buying and selling was down at that time. So I kept looking.
This is how I found the program that I was eventually going to buy, which cost about $50 or $60 at that time. After registering I immediately checked the videos (I didn't have the patience to read the whole ebook) and found quite a few new exercises I had never thought of before.
So I began training and sweating, being decided to ask for a refund if the things didn't work out. Thankfully, it did work out. The truth is that after a few months I was able to touch the rim with my elbow, as my leap went up to just a little less than 40 inches.
If you are interested in adding just about 5-6 inches to your leap, then I advise you not to spend your money on any product. Just go with the exercises I explained and you should some results in a couple of months.
But if you are committed and want to get a 40 inches leap, I recommend you go get yourself such a program (I actually didn't make it to 40 inches, I stopped at about 38. Still good, though). The program I chose, Jumping Manual, contains quite a bit of information (even unnecessary from time to time), videos on every type of exercise and an organized schedule you can work with (it basically explains what kind of exercises must be tried at what stage in your training).
At this time, this guide costs $50 and is the cheapest among the other high rated programs (there are actually two more trustful programs that offer about the same benefits, but they both cost $100).
Because the company that promotes Jumping Manual is having a lot of sales, a few real trainers were employed to offer free online support for its members. I personally never contacted them, but I plan to, just to see how good they really are :D
Bottom line, if you want to jump about 5 inches higher, just go through the exercises I presented above, on a regular basis. On the other side, if you have greater dreams and simple dunks are not enough for you, I recommend you spend a few bucks on Jumping Manual. I personally am more than a little thankful to them.
Improve your jumping abilities...
How to Improve your Vertical Leap
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If you have any questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact me using the form below.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How much will I actually be able to jump if I exercise regularly?
This depends on whether you just want to stick to the exercises I described or get yourself a copy of Jumping Manual. In the first case, you will get about 5-6 more inches to your present leap, whereas following the guide will help you get at least 10-13 inches in about 12 weeks. If more time is spent training, you will probably develop a 40+ inches vertical leap.
2. How many days a week should I exercise?
Well, 7 would be the right answer, but you can even go with 5 days a week. The important thing is to keep it up.
3. And how many hours a day?
This actually depends on what stage you are are with your training. Beginners usually exercise about 30-60 minutes a day, depending on their commitment.
4. So all I have to do is exercise and you can guarantee I'll jump 20 inches higher?
Basically, yes. But in order to improve your vertical leap faster, you can take some supplements that will allow your muscles to develop more quickly. More useful details can be found in Jumping Manual.
5. Is basketball all these exercises are good for?
Not at all. Volleyball players, handball players, or even swimmers can use powerful legs, too.
How to Measure Your Vertical Leap
We are always talking about how high we can jump, how great our vertical leap is, but not many people know how it is actually measured. Here are the steps you need to follow:
1. Find a high wall, so you cannot touch the ceiling when jumping (14-15 feet will do it).
2. Get next to the wall and have a friend mark the highest point you can reach with your fingertips while flat-footed (we will call this Mark 1).
3. Have the underside of the tip of your middle finger covered in ink or anything else that is visible on the wall.
4. Jump off of your both feet, trying to touch the highest point as possible on the wall. Don't put more than a step into the jump.
5. Do this several times (4 or 5 should do it).
6. Now mark the highest fingerprint on the wall and forget about the others (this is Mark 2). Measure the distance between the two marks on the wall (Mark 1 and Mark 2).
Now that is your vertical leap. If you want that to improve it drastically, I advise you get the Jumping Manual.
Just a little tip: don't do this measurement every day, because you will be disappointed with the results and probably lose the will to train. Once a month is more than enough!
The First 2 Months of Training
Here are some of the exercises I used in my 2 months training:
1. The one I consider to be the most effective is called "Split Scissors". What you have to do is to put one foot in front of the other, at a distance of about 2 feet, and jump as high as you can, changing the position of your legs (the front one becomes the rear one). You can start by doing this 10 times in a row and increase this number once your body gets used to it. As a tip, make sure you use your hands while doing this.
2. In order to do this second exercise, you must have a step stool, a weight bench, or anything like that. The idea is to get from one side of the step stool to the other very quickly. Just place the step stool at your left and start by putting your left foot on it. Get your right foot on as well, but quickly move your left one down the stool. Now get your left foot on the step stool again and let your right foot down. Do this as quickly as you can, spending as least time as possible on the ground.
3. Well, this last one is not really an exercise, but it sure helped me jump higher. What you need to do is to lose some weight, in case you are not a very fit person. I personally was a little fat back in college, so I had some place to start from. I remember I got from 180 pounds to about 170 pounds during training, and I guess this helped me quite a bit.
Again, these exercises only helped me gain a few inches, which is anyway good. Click HERE to go to the previous page and find out how I managed to increase my vertical jump even more and faster.
