How to improve jump in basketball - exercises and technique

Have you ever seen professional basketball players score dunks? They dunk the ball into the ring from above so hard that it shakes for a long time, and it’s very beautiful. Some people can do it easily, others do it practically from the spot. But what to do for those who are not so big or maybe not so big at all? The answer is: you need to train the jump. In today’s article we will talk about how to do it correctly.

Demix expert, strength and conditioning coach

“The time each athlete spends on the basketball court consists mostly of jumping. And for those who play basketball at the professional or amateur level, it’s important to work on technique to jump not just higher, but more consistently, more efficiently and with less energy.”

Why work on your jump shot?
Exercises to pump up your jump shot in basketball

Daftar Isi

Why work on your jump shot?

If you think that a short person will never be able to dunk or even jump to the hoop, you are very wrong. Spudd Webb is a basketball player who played in the NBA. His height was less than 170 cm, but he scored beautiful dunks. So you just need to believe in yourself and start practicing.

You need a good jump shot not only to make beautiful dunks from the top, but also to score from mid and long range. And also for block shots – when you need to block an opponent’s shot with your hand.

Anton Novikov: The better the jump becomes, the more opportunities an athlete has to play the game. For example, it is possible to score not only from the middle distance, but also from above or by dribbling to other players.

Exercises to improve your jump shot in basketball

You are probably familiar with almost all of them. Do the exercises regularly, but you don’t have to do them all at once. Make a training plan so that at least twice a week you can practice consistently. In this case, only time and your diligence will decide everything.

Anton Novikov: In general, any exercise that develops the lower body, especially calves, flounder muscles, posterior surface of the thigh, quadriceps, buttocks and lower back will do. But, in addition to developing strength, you should not forget about improving technique. All types of plyometrics (i.e. jumping workouts) are suitable for this purpose, from low-intensity to high-intensity.

Squat jumps

Technique

Bend your knees, place your feet shoulder-width apart, go into a squat position.
Extend your arms in front of you.
Perform the jump.
When your feet touch the ground, do not pause and immediately go to the starting position.
Perform the exercise without pausing.

Jumping with a barbell

For this exercise, choose the weight very carefully. If you choose the wrong load, you can easily get injured.

Technique

Starting position is the same as in the previous exercise.
Put the barbell on your shoulders, never on your neck, and hold it with your hands.
As you exhale, perform a jump.
Land only on half-bent legs and immediately go to the starting position.

Bulgarian lunges

Technique

Stand with your back to the bench.
Take a step with one foot forward. Place the other foot on the bench on the toe.
Place your hands on your waist.
Start squatting, lower yourself down until the thigh of the working leg becomes parallel to the floor.
Then return to the starting position.

Perform the exercise first on one and then on the other leg.

Stanovaya pull

Technique

Put a barbell in front of you. Put your feet slightly wider than shoulder width, straighten your back. Keep your shoulders and shoulder blades back.
Move into a deep squat position, grab the bar.
As you exhale, lift the bar to waist level with a powerful movement.
Do not round your back.

Jumping up on a bollard

Technique

Stand next to the bollard, but not close to it.
Take a squat position, arms extended in front of you.
As you exhale, perform a powerful jump upwards. While in the air, do not bend your legs to avoid hitting the bollard.
Then jump off the bollard with your back to the back without turning.
Land on half-bent legs to avoid injury.

And, of course, do not forget about jumping to the ring. You can perform them both from a place and from a run-up. And be sure to pump up your skills in the game of basketball to work out the movements in practice.