Is it possible to increase vertical

My vert stayed around there until I finally began training properly in my late teens and early 20's. I quickly got another 8 inches once I started doing proper strength training. That brought my vert up to Then something odd happened. Between the ages of 23 and 25 I grew an inch and a half. I also continued gaining a lot of additional strength and power. That brought my vert up to the 40 inch mark and eventually a PR of 42 standing and 45 running. How much of it was due to physical maturity and how much of it was due to training?

I really don't know. All I know is I did what I could do over a period of time and got the results I did. That's all YOU can really do. It's also worth noting that I have a structure well suited for jumping. Extremely thin hips and long femur thigh bones. I also have a very good nervous system. As noted earlier, speed and rate of force development have never been weaknesses for me. My only weakness was creating force.

Generating maximal force wasn't something I was born with. I had to work at it. YOU might and probably do have an entirely different set of physiological circumstances to work with. Now does all this mean if you're not a young teenager and don't have a great structure with great neural efficiency that you can't significantly increase your vert?

Not necessarily. I'll give you one example of a guy who has even surprised me by leaps and bounds. Ori Biala didn't start training seriously for vert until he was almost 20 yrs old and he started out with a 22 inch running vert.

He actually was "the other guy" in a flyin in 4 training vid a couple of yrs back. Ori made gains but his workout partner was really setting the world on fire.

It took Ori 9 months of training to get to where he could grab the rim when he took his first video:. I started consulting with Ori sometime around this point and I remember my initial reaction when I assessed him was, "well - he's not that fast and doesn't really have a great structure for jumps so we'll see what happens" But he's done what he could do, stayed VERY consistent, worked hard, and within a couple yrs he surpassed the 40 inch barrier:.

There are guys that jump higher, guys that make better gains, but considering where he started from and what he had to work with THAT to me is impressive. All you can do is work with what you have and do what you can do. But to get back to the point: How much can you improve your vert? One key to the broad jump is maintaining your balance at the end of each jump. Jump training drills and plyometrics require limited no equipment and can be done just about anywhere.

Adding the VertiMax resistance increase load production and explosiveness. These drills can easily be implemented into any training regiment. If you want to find more drills check out the VertiMax App which includes drills for every sport.

If you want to find more jump training drills check out the VertiMax App which includes drills for every sport. To learn more about how VertiMax equipment can increase your vertical jump to become more explosive check out the link below. VertiMax Privacy Policy. Team VertiMax. Lateral Skater Jumps When playing sports an athlete is constantly moving side-to-side. Tuck Jumps. Depth Jumps. Split Squat Jumps. This is the general principle that millions of top athletes have followed.

It is that simple. The most effective way to measure your strength when it comes to the vertical jump is through exercises such as the full Olympic back squat, front squat, power-lifting squat, box squat and dead lift. Increase the amount of weight you can lift in any of these exercises in comparison to your body weight, and your vertical jump will increase.

Velocity is the speed at which the vertical jump is done. The vertical jump is a quick movement. On average, most vertical jumps happen around. Having quick velocity allows you to take advantage of your strength. Effective ways of increasing your velocity are exercises such as depth jumps, shock jumps, broad jumps and even just jumping.

Athlete A: Body weight lbs. Athlete B: Body weight lbs. Both of these athletes weigh the same and can squat the same, however, in the quick movement of the vertical jump, Athlete A puts out lbs. Athlete B will have to increase their Velocity to allow their strength to carry over into their vertical jump.

Both of these athletes can squat the same and put out the same maximum power in the vertical jump, however, Athlete A weighs pounds less than Athlete B, therefore Athlete A has a better power-to-weight ratio and will be able throw themself into the air higher.

Athlete B can jump higher than athlete A, because they have more strength and can display that strength with a quick velocity in the vertical jump. Another important factor when it comes to improving vertical jump is flexibility. If you are not flexible enough, you will not be able to get into the proper position to get a full range of motion when you jump. This will limit your vertical jump potential. As well, stretching will help prevent injuries.

You can increase your flexibility and prevent injuries by doing dynamic and static stretching. Dynamic stretching uses speed of a movement and momentum to stretch a muscle. For example, swinging your leg side to side is a dynamic stretch. Dynamic stretches should be done before a workout to help you warm up. Static stretching is keeping the body at rest and staying in one position while stretching a muscle.

For example, leaning over and touching your toes, and then holding that position for a certain amount of time without moving. This type of stretching should be done after a workout, or on off days. There is no perfect training program. As long as you increase your power-to-weight ratio and have efficient flexibility to get into the proper position to jump, then your vertical jump will increase.

There are many variations of exercises and programs that can help you achieve those goals. The secret is picking a program and consistently sticking to it. That being said, the goal of this program is to simultaneously increase your velocity, strength and flexibility, which will carryover and increase your vertical jump. You should progressively add weight to these exercises each week and consciously try to jump as quick and high as you can on every rep.

If at any point you are feeling overworked, beat up, or drained, take the day off and eat more healthy food. Nutrition is equally important as the training when it comes to the vertical jump. As long as your power-to-weight ratio is improving every week and you feel energized and healthy every day, then you are heading in the right direction.

With a nod to legendary player George Mikan, Kyrie Irving demonstrates a good way to practice finishing at the rim.