Rajon Rondo Dunk - How to Jump Higher Without Calf Raises and Squats

Did you see Rajon Rondo dunk on Jason Maxiell? What about his baseline jam on Vince Carter? Not only fans know that the Boston Celtic Rajon Rondo is quick. But most people don't even suppose he can jump that high.

Actually, standing at only 6'1'', Rondo is one of the best rebounding guards in the NBA as he grabs 5,3 boards per game. He's in fifth place this season (2008-2009), right behind Kobe Bryant, who is 6'6''. So it's obvious that the 22-year old Celtic can jump. His vertical might be in the 38-inch area. But the cool thing about vertical jump is that you can increase it with special exercises.

Now we all have heard about squats, calf raises and lunges. These exercises are good and will help to improve your vertical, but basketball might not be the most effective ones. For that, try some plyometric exercises, as they are designed to improve your explosiveness. And this is a crucial factor in the jumping process, as it's not only about muscle strength, but quickness. Here are two exercises that will boost your explosiveness:

1) Burnouts: Stand on your tiptoes. Now jump as quickly as you can about 1/2 to 1 inch off of the ground. Do about 50 repetitions per set.

2) Step ups. For this exercise you need a stable box or chair. Put one foot on the box/ chair that your thigh is parallel to the ground. Now use this leg to push yourself off of the chair and jump in the air as high as possible. Try to switch the legs in the air so that you land with the other leg on the box/ chair.

Another basic exercise that will improve your quickness are Wind Sprints (sprint for 60 meters, then rest for 20 seconds, 4 reps, 3 times a week). But those exercises are worthless if you don't know how exactly you have to do them and how many repetitions/ sets are effective. A lot of people are highly motivated and overtrain at the beginning. They simply jump too much and don't really care about proper execution of the exercises which is crucial. Doing so they only train their jumping endurance which is actually counterproductive if you want to improve your explosiveness. They don't really gain inches on their vertical jump and give up.

To avoid this, I can recommend the brand-new The Jump Manual, as you will find videos and pictures inside that guarantee a proper execution of the exercises.

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3 Tips to Increase Your Vertical Leap Results

If you want to increase basketball vertical basketball as an athlete, you need to understand that power comes from a combination of strength and speed. Your goal is to bring forth more power - but you will achieve this by focusing on developing your strength and speed.

Build your Strength

Strength can be built in a variety of ways, but you need to work on lower body strength primarily. The muscles you need to concentrate on are the calves, quads, hamstrings, glutes and hip-flexors. You should stretch these muscles several times a day, and do exercises to develop them. Make sure you give them a good rest after a good workout though. You need approximately 48 hours to rebuild broken muscle fibres. Remember not to push yourself too much at the start. Begin low, and work your way up.

I highly recommend squats to build your strength. I give more details on my blog about proper technique, along with 'The Single Most Effective Exercise' for increasing vertical leap.

Increase your Speed

The other area to increase your vertical leap then is speed. When you have enough strength built in your legs, move on to plyometric exercises and explosive workouts. It is important to build the strength in the legs first, or it will not have as much effect.

Customize your Workout

Every athlete is different. What works for some will not work for others. We all have our own strengths and weaknesses. This is why I recommend you invest in a program that can tailor to your individual needs. There is an expert called Luke Lowrey who developed UPN technology. This stands for 'Uncompromised Performance Number'. It comes as part of his program, The Vertical Project. This basically provides a way for you to accurately predict, document and plot your vertical leap improvement. It involves physics and mathematics, but all you need to do is use it and be confident that it works.

You can learn more about the most effective exercises to increase your vertical leap at http://verticaljumpblog.blogspot.com

Discover mind blowing vertical leap results here.

4 Tips on Making Your Basketball Jump Higher

Are you looking to make your basketball jump higher? Whether you are slamming a dunk, or blocking someone else's, a good jump is crucial to having a good game. For some people, a good jump comes naturally, but most athletes need to work at it. No matter what, both natural jumpers, and those whose jump comes from training, can always find a way to improve their vertical leap.

Of course, it is not always easy. Every athlete knows about the dreaded plateau. That point in training when no matter how hard you work, the best you can do is just maintain. Sometimes a plateau lasts a couple of weeks, sometimes months or years.

If you are looking to make your basketball jump higher, and you have hit a plateau, it is probably time to rethink your training program. While every body has its limits, very few athletes ever really reach the limits of their body's abilities. Almost every training technique, however, has limits to the amount of benefit it can give. Sometimes a plateau occurs when your body is adjusting to the most recent improvements a training program gives, but sometimes it comes when the training program does not have anything else to offer.

When you hit that plateau, and are ready to find a new program, make sure that you look carefully at any program that promises to make your basketball jump higher. Any program you start should cover several areas.

Exercise--

Obviously any training program should have exercises and workouts designed to give you the improvement you are looking for (a higher jump). A good program will also explain what benefit each exercise gives, and what muscles are used giving you a comprehensive overview of all basketball of that particular program.

Diet--

Your body can not do anything if it does not have the fuel it needs. A good training program will either give a fully detailed diet to go with the exercise plan, or give solid advice and guidelines for designing your own diet.

Downtime--

Since muscles actually improve between workouts, a good program will also advise you on how much downtime you need between heavy workouts to get maximum effect. Keep in mind, everyone's body is different, you may need more or less then the recommended downtime to get maximum effect.

Safety--

Every exercise program should have safety guidelines, to help you keep from injuring yourself accidentally.

If you are ready to find the perfect program to get you over that plateau and to the next level, check out The Vertical Project, guaranteed to make your basketball jump higher - http://www.vertical-leap.info

Secret to Improve Girls Basketball Skills

I watched a youtube video of Mike Conley, Memphis Grizzlies point guard, going through some basketball dribbling drills. This young man has some great dribbling skills.

He is dribbling the basketball in front of his body, to the side of his body, between his legs, around the back, using both hands at the same time. He can handle the basketball just as effectively with his left hand as his right hand. You can tell that he has been working on his skills for a long period of time because of how confident he looks.

In his message about the video, he describes that the video is just the beginning of his workout routine he performs EVERYDAY of the summer. The video was just the warm up. It was a very intense warm up.

How does this relate to improving girls basketball skills? Mike Conley said that the video was a part of his everyday summer workout routine. Mike Conley knows the key to improving his game and reaching his goals. He did something everyday. To improve your skills do something everyday. Or do something consistently.

I was known as a great shooter. But how did basketball become a great shooter? I did what Mike Conley said he did during the summer. I was consistently working on my shooting. I would practice my free throws. I would practice my 3 point shots. I would practice shooting from the corners.

Your basketball skills will not improve in one day basketball over a period of days or time.

Visit http://www.girlsbasketballtips.com to get your copy of the 6 Girls Basketball Tips that will Explode Your Game!!!