For a higher vert, all you have to do is practice jumping, right? Wrong. It takes more than that to increase your vertical jump. It's just one of the myths people usually believe when it comes to jump training.
Here are some biggest vertical jump training myths we'd like to debunk and why you should not believe them.
1.) You can’t train to jump higher, it’s all genetic.
This is obviously nonsense. This is just lazy thought. You can get better at anything if you are obsessive about doing so. Your vertical jump is an easy thing to improve with a well rounded and thought out approach. How much you improve may vary, and can have limits, but better is better.
2.) All you need to do is (insert method here…calf raises, jump rope, sit ups, etc).
Jumping high involves your entire body working in sync. There are so many aspects to improve I couldn’t even list them all here. Why improve one area, when improving them all just makes way more sense. Don’t let other people’s lazy thought keep you from your goals. Improve using our 360 degree approach.
3.) All you need to do is jump/dunk every day, that’s what my favorite dunker did…
Does jumping every day help? Sure, until it doesn’t. How many people out there play basketball nearly every day? Lots I would wager, I was one of them. Many of them are jumping constantly, before games/ after games/ between and during games. Yet, many of them don’t improve much as jumpers. Even those favorite dunkers, often switched it up as they got older and saw crazy improvements once they added in weights and a more balanced approach. Believe me I know, I’ve not only seen it first hand, I have the DM’s where I am telling them to do so.
4.) You are going to jump 8”-16” higher in 12 weeks. Or whatever non sense marketing based lie they are telling you now.
If you are being guaranteed massive gains, run for the hills. I actually did legitimately double my vertical, it is possible. It took years, not weeks. Even if someone did (unlikely), not everyone that reads it will. I can guarantee you will improve as an athlete and likely jump higher. (I routinely have athletes jump 2-4” higher in a single technique session) yet I still won’t guarantee you any amount of vertical jump progress over any time frame. Why not? I am not a liar. We am not just trying to get your money. I am being honest with you. Your progress largely depends on you and how dedicated you are to getting better. The program could be perfect (it’s not, it’s always evolving), but it’s just a compilation of suggestions. You have to actually be committed and focused on doing the work. I can’t control that, so we won’t guarantee you anything that’s out of our control.
5.) All I need to do is lift legs. Upper body will make me too heavy.
Again, stop with the lazy thought. If you are getting stronger and leaner, it’s not going to hurt. Unless you are trying to be Mr Olympia or the worlds strongest man, some upper body work is only going to help you be a better athlete. Stronger shoulders, and posterior chain muscles are vital for great jumpers and athletes. Maybe skip the curls and extra bench press, but don’t neglect upper body work.
I could go on and in with myth debunking, but I’ll stop for today. Let me know if there’s another you want addressed.
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