so cal eddie

Well i justed started playing basketball again after about 4 years. I broke my ankle and 3 toes playing ball while coming down on some guys foot. With healing time and work i guess i just never got the urge to play. Now im back at the gym and finally enjoying playing ball again. Its only been a week but i really miss being able to dunk. I can almost dunk but its frustrating that i lost soo much jumping ability. In my prime i could touch the top of the square and hit my head on the backboard. My vertical was 34" and i know it will be tough to get back to that level but i really want to.

Do you guys have any suggestions on how to start my regaining process? Ive been working on my cardio and my leg strength for a couple of weeks now. I was spoiled when i was on the b-ball team and we had a personal trainer. He would have us jump on boxes from the ground and jump rope forever. I guess thats what i need to do. Do you guys have any other workout tips?

GIBSON6594

what about those shoes that have that platform in the front of them so you stay on your toes?

so cal eddie

Oh yeah. I used to have the jumpsoles. I need to get me another pair. The only thing is when i would go running i would get the weirdest looks like i came off the special bus or something. I really shouldnt care what others think right.

Agent0r

Strengthen and increase flexibility in the lower body.

Squats, full range of motion squats. Box jumps. Exercises to strengthen and increase flexibility in the lower body.

UNCTYPE-S

Most of your "hops" come from your thighs and not your calves. I see a lot of people who work calf raises and no squats/sleds, etc and wonder why they cannot jump. Boxes are great. Believe it or not, jump rope is good as well.

You can also try running with ankle weights to build up strength in your legs. Be prepared to have someone drive you home from the gym though. LOL

Pug

Box jump and single leg box jump. Also, if you're returning to bball after a long lay off, focus on more single leg work to strengthen your knees. The last thing you want is an ACL injury to knock you out for a long period of time. I'd also spend time strengthening your calve muscles. It may not help you much with jumping, but it will help you avoid an achilles injury. Finally, full range of motion on squats should be below parallel. If you can't go below that, you have a functional movement issue, or more likely you're lifting too much weight and form is suffering. Also note that with the single leg movements you don't want to lift as much as possible - focus on using proper form. Look for videos on youtube if you want some examples. Alternate between front and back squats too.

airjam21

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/2101544/Air-Alert

I used this program when I was in high school. Gained about 14-15 inches on my vertical leap. Everything can be done at home and you don't have to go out and buy anything. I could throw the ball against the rim at my peak. Not bad for a 5' 11" white guy.

so cal eddie

Thanks for that website. Pretty neat. Ive been working for the last couple of weeks and can almost dunk again! I think by summer ill be dunking 2 hands again. I dont know why im so addicted to getting my hops back but i am. I think it makes me feel younger and in shape or something.

SuperTrooper169

iTrader: (2)

This thread is awesome because I've been dying to be able to dunk again too, but I know what my problem is... 35lbs of body fat than I didn't have in high school & college. My goal is to drop at least 15-20lbs by July to be able to dunk again. Good luck with your goal!

so cal eddie

Im with you on that. I was weighin between 195 and 205 during my prime b-ball days. I got depressed and sucked into working too much and flew up to 255 lbs. I looked in the mirror and said f that! I had man boobs!! Within 3 months i came down to 210. I have stayed there but i still want to get to sub 200 range. I felt my best there. Im working towards that and i will be there soon. Stay tuned.

imj0257

iTrader: (1)

I'm a white man who can't jump.

WillrunifChased

I used the air alert program in high school and all it did was give me tendinitis in my knees. I wouldn't recommend that program, I would recommend the Jump Bible, it is worth checking out. One of the biggest things to jumping is just getting your bmi down or your body fat percentage.

I haven't gotten to that point where I can't dunk anymore but about three months ago I was down to dunking with one hand before I picked up on working out again. It was the first time since high school I had below a 30" vertical. Luckily I was only up to 205 lbs at that point and have been able to get down to 190lb.

CarbonGray Earl

Damn, I wish I could dunk!

Anyways, I had a 40 inch standing vert in HS, and got higher than that in college, but never measured it unfortunately. I'm 5'6 so I never dunked a basketball, but I got a volleyball once, and was able to use the hops and quickness in the game.

I echo what everyone else says, but what i think is being left out is plyometrics and core training.

Plyometrics are basically what you are doing on boxes (but there is a whole set of exercises dedicated to this other than box jumps). Plyos work the ligaments and emphasize the explosion or "fast twitch". helps to avoid injuries too. Theres a whole host of exercise that involve jumping off boxes, etc, but its been a long time for me. You could google it, I think I saw a couple of websites dedicated to it. Basically, it was made for volleyball players, but it turned out to be great for basketball as well.

Don't leave out core training. A solid core gives you stability. A well defined and worked core gives you power. Just think of your jump:

Crouch - Extension - Land: between Crouch-extension you are using your core just as much as your thighs and legs to fling yourself upwards. Think of your core as the 2nd stage of a rocket with your legs as the first.

While in the air, your core provides you stability and power you need to better deliver the ball. In the air, its all core, your legs are just along for the ride.

Finally, if all else fails, call this guy. He's in our area and has been featured on a couple of news segments.

http://www.jumpusa.com/gilrise.htm

One of his workouts:

http://outside.away.com/outside/body...ll-dunk_1.html


Lastly, no one has asked, but are we talking 1 foot or 2 foot jump? I'm a 2 foot jumper, personally.

WillrunifChased

I am a two foot jumper, but can get the same height off of 1 foot if I keep my weight at or below 180.

SuperTrooper169

iTrader: (2)

How tall are you? I'm 6'3" (and white lol) and I carry all my weight in my belly, so if I can get rid of the old beer gut and get down to 205-210lbs I'd definitely be back to throwing it down. I'm a one foot jumper, could never do the two foot method, but at my height of dunking I was doing the gammet of self-alley oop 180s, big double clutching, etc. I miss those days so much, but then again I haven't played orgainized ball much at all besides the once or twice a year pick up game at the gym, so I'd only be doing it to impress myself, not anyone else lol.

so cal eddie

im 6'2". I used to be in dunk contests in high school. Baron Davis went to crossroads high school and there were about 6 of us in that years tournament dunk contest. I never had the chance to play against him but he did win the dunk contest. I played against Casey Jacobson and keith closs in the glendora summer tournament. I also kind of dunked on keith closs. I say kind of because he was still a few feet away but he was coming for me. I played against eric chenowith in the catalina classic a couple of times too. The good old days. I was invited to the high school superstar summer gala at the long beach pyramid. Tayshaun Prince was on my team there. He got player of the week and everyone knew he would play in the nba. He was 6'8" and probably about 160 lbs. Very, very skinny. But he has incredible reach. In practice i guarded him and i could not stop him. Others tried and no one could. He would either hit a three in your face or dunk on you. He also blocked one of my dunk attempts. It was an "ooooh" moment but oh well.

SuperTrooper169

iTrader: (2)

Wow, impressive list. Tayshaun is no joke. He's one of my favorites in the NBA simply because he shows his skills through his play, not his chest pounding or trash talking. Kinda like Ray Allen. Growing up in CT I was a huge Ray Allen fan. He had some pretty good ups back in the day too.

I was in a dunk contest my senior year, came in 2nd, although I still think I won but oh well, at least I put down some good dunks in front of a bunch of people. Ahhhh, the good 'ol days, sigh.

godfather2

when im trying to get more hops i simply drink a beer ... ever try that?

SuperTrooper169

iTrader: (2)

Ha ha, I know all too much about those hops, too much of those in my life, that's the problem, hops taking away from the hops!

mystikk

Phoenix down ..

I'm interested in upping my vert jump since I play a lot of ball. I'm 6', 265, so obviously weight is a concern, but I never let my weight stop me from being athletic and/or flexible. Right now I'm about an inch away from touching the rim, don't know how many inches that is off the ground.

I'll be working on plyometrics as well as hitting the treadmill with ankle weights to start off. In the meantime, does anyone else have any other suggestions? Besides the whole "lose weight, fatass" thing?

jayhawk815

plyometrics, weight training, etc, will help, but obviously your weight is the biggest issue. I've seen guys about your height and weight dunk the ball before, but they had absolutely incredible leg strength. I'd recommend getting down to at least 250 before expecting to be able to dunk.

I'm 6' and 205 and am no longer able to dunk here. I've been working on my leg strength, and am getting closer to being back to my old form. Problem is, as others have mentioned as being problematic, my weight was around 175 or so at the height of my jumping ability.

Getting back to your question, doing as others have stated here and trimming down a bit is what you need to do to reach your goals.

so cal eddie

I forgot I started this thread, but I can now dunk again!! I won't be in dunk contests anytime soon, but when you are motivated to do something, you do it. Im proud that at 31 and not in the best shape ever, I can dunk. At the gym I go to, there are much younger, athletic guys that can't, eventhough they are my height.

VTEChump

So, how did you get your hops back? What things do you think made the biggest difference?

invisiblewar

damn I suck at basketball but I love playing and this is something Ive wanted to be able to do