Luckily enough, increasing your vertical jump is pretty easy. Some basic exercises like squats, toe raises, heel raises, and explosive speed can help you improve your jump.

In doing squats, you have to stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. With your butt almost on the ground, you have to leap with explosive speed using all body motions including the arms. If done correctly, squatting is considered as one of the best exercises for overall strength training which can lead to an increased vertical jump.

Toe raises are done by standing on the edge of a step and exercising your calf muscles by stretching onto your toes. Heel raises, on the other hand, are done by walking on your heels for a few minutes at a time in order to strengthen the muscle opposite that which is required to jump. The explosive speed enhances your short burst sprints and works on those fast twitch fibers and explosive muscles that help you leap into the air.

Do these exercises at least four times a week, starting off mildly then gradually increasing your reps. However, avoid taking up exercises which wear you out completely. Also, aside from these exercises, an adequate nutrient intake is essential in improving your jump.

This author writes about How To Increase Speed and Quickness at Jump Higher Run Faster

Becoming a better basketball player means having to develop the different skills needed while playing a game. Aside from enhancing your basic and advanced basketball skills, you will also need to develop your physical fitness skills like your speed, strength, and agility. Another skill that contributes much to your competence as a basketball player is your jumping ability. Indeed, becoming a better ball player means learning how to jump higher. There are tons of tips on how to jump higher available in sports manuals and online that you can easily get yourself overwhelmed by their sheer number. But what really is important is you will be able to develop a jump higher program that you can integrate to your daily exercise routine.

You jump higher training program does not really need to be all too complex. What you really need is to learn tips on how to jump higher that best answer your jumping needs. You need not invest on expensive exercise machines and costly gym memberships. All you need to do is to properly and regularly perform simple exercises that have been proven to increase the height of your vertical jump.

Most tips on how to jump higher will make you start working on your calves. There is much sense to this indeed because your calf muscles are primarily responsible for making jump. Strengthening your calf muscles is one way of giving you the added lift you need. You can start working on your strength by adding strength training in your regular exercise routine. One way is through doing lunges while holding a set of dumbbells on each of your hands.

Plyometric exercises are also great ways of working your speed, strength, and agility. You can read more about plyometric drills for basketball in several websites online. What is great about plyometrics trainings is that the exercises included in them do not require the use of complicated exercise machines. You simply need to perform specific drills and exercises properly. And this does not mean you will need to lock yourself up in the gym. You simply need to perform the exercises one hour each day at the most.

Other great ways of making you jump higher includes regular jump rope sessions ? on your toes. Jumping rope on your toes will not only strengthen your calf muscles, it will also give you a total body workout. Other tips on how to jump higher would involve walking on tiptoes for 15 to 30 minutes everyday. Completing sets of jumps can also help much in significantly increasing the height of your vertical jump.

EXERCISES TO HELP YOU JUMP HIGHER: PASSIVE STRETCHING

Passive stretching, also called relaxed stretching or static-passive stretching, is a stretch where you get into a stretching position and hold with another part of your body, an device (such as those exercise bands), or with the help of another person.

Passive stretches are used a lot in yoga and physical therapy, such as the Figure 4 Stretch.  In this stretch, you lay on your back and cross your left ankle onto your right knee.  You grab your right leg on the under thigh and pull it towards your chest and hold for about 30 seconds.

Passive stretches are exercises which can help increase your flexibility, which in turn help you jump higher and become a better athlete overall.

Flexibility is one of the fundamentals in increases your vertical leap as well as your overall athletic performance.

These flexibility exercises are best if done with a buddy.

WARM UP

It’s important to warm up your muscles that you’re going to stretch.  Stretching cold muscles can cause cramps or even injury.  A good way to do this is either massaging the area or doing a brief exercise.  Walking is a great, all-around warm up routine.  It gets the blood flowing and warms up all the major muscle groups.

LAY DOWN ON A FLAT SURFACE

After your warm up, lay down on a stable, solid surface like the floor or a treatment table.

TAKE THE LIMBS THROUGH THEIR FULL RANGE OF MOTION

Have your buddy take each limb through it’s full range of motion.  Keep the limb completely relaxed, as if you were a dead body.  Your buddy will be doing all of the work (nice for you).  Make sure your buddy moves the limbs very slowly and does not overextend or force the limb too far.  There should be constant dialogue between the two of you communicating what feels comfortable and when to stop.  Pushing a limb too far will lead to injury and delay your progress.

PASSIVE STRETCHING

Next, have your buddy take your through a series of passive stretches, targeting each muscle group.  Hold each stretch for 30 seconds.

SHOULDERS

Next, stand up straight and stretch each arm across your chest as far as you can, without experiencing pain, for 2 minutes each.

LEGS

Sit down on a stable surface stretching your legs out in front of you.  Get your legs to lay on the ground as flat as possible. Your legs should be beside each other.

Slowly lean forward, stretching towards your knees, face forward, back straight.  Do not bend your knees.  Go as far as you can without feeling pain.  Hold for 30 seconds. Do not bounce.

How You Can Jump Higher

Being able to jump really high seems like such a cool and amazing trick to learn; just picture the look on people’s faces as you soar up high above everyone else and reach things that give a lot of other people considerable difficulty. Of course, far more than just being an impressive skill, jumping higher actually provides incredible benefits to people engaged in different types of sports, such as basketball and volleyball. By making use of some tips on how to jump higher, you get to make that incredible slam dunk in basketball, leaping over the rival team to make that all-important shot that you absolutely should not miss. In volleyball, you can jump up–whether you’re standing in front of the net or positioned in the rear–and hit a ball right back at the opposing team when they least expect it. Jumping higher truly has its upside, and if you think you need to develop this skill, here are some tips for jumping higher that you can use.

First of all, you really need to develop your leg power. It is the source of energy which will drive you higher up in the air. Work by increasing your leg strength, and don’t forget to do jumping exercises. You can learn to propel yourself upward even higher by doing squats, which also gives your thighs an extra boost. An exercise you can do is to lower yourself as much as possible then jump up vertically, launching yourself powerfully from your feet, to your legs, and all the way up.

Regular jumping exercises will also help you get the hang of jumping. Do several sets of vertical jumps a day and measure how you high you go each time.

Another one of the tips on jumping higher that you can try is to strap on weights to your legs during your jumping exercises. You will be able to develop your legs’ muscles as well as be able to get used to jumping with added weight. If you can jump really high with an added five or ten pounds, just imagine how much higher you can go without the excess poundage. The moment the weights come off, you will definitely be surprised at how high you can go after a long period of jumping with weights on.

Don’t forget to consult your coach or your trainer for more tips for jumping. You just might be able to get started on a great jumping program to improve your strength and the height of your jumps.