How to Go Basketball Pro

The Vertical Project - Learn How to Jump Higher

2008-07-29T17:09:00.000-07:00

Well, believe it or not, it is still very possible for you to be able to increase your vertical leap and posterize the guy guarding you and the system is call the vertical project. Once again, if you are like me in any way, then you are extremely skeptical especially when it comes to someone telling you that you can do something, like dunking a basketball, that you have never done or even come close to.

The fact of the matter is that it is very possible if you have the determination and desire to want to play above the rim with the big boys on the basketball court. There are a lot and I mean a lot of increasing your vertical leap systems out there that try and convince you to use their system, their product or their special magical drink that will get you dunking in no time (which I think is hilarious, like a drink is going to make you jump higher), but the fact of the matter is that is all on you.

You have to be the person that is willing to put in the time and effort, you have to be the person that is willing to try a different and most likely harder workout routine to increase your vertical, but all these other systems act like all you have to do is sit back, relax and drink a miracle, but that is not the case and you will see that instantly when you check out The Vertical Project Review that I have done on my blog that breaks down the best workout routine to increase you vertical jump by at least 6 inches in 60 days of training, now that's real!

If you want to improve your vertical leap and start playing with the big boys above the rim, check out my blog The Vertical Project Review with the latest free tips about learning how to jump higher and being the best basketball player you can be.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ryan_Ward http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Vertical-Project---Learn-How-to-Jump-Higher&id=1020101

How To Increase Your Vertical Jump

2008-07-29T17:06:00.000-07:00

Most athletes though, think that if they just keep trying to dunk over and over again without the proper training they will be able to play above the rim in no time and yes, this does happen from time to time, but these athletes are the ones that are 6' 3" and above. What about the shorter guys like you and me who can barely touch the rim and even some of us that struggle to grab the net?

Well there is a solution for us little guys who can't get to the next level to get a higher vertical leap and start dunking on people and become a force on the court, but it takes time, effort and some self discipline, much like anything in life if you want it bad enough. In the grand scheme of things, increasing your vertical will take a minimum of two months or 60 days of implementing certain workout routines, exercises and basketball drills that you can use to improve your basketball game and improve your vertical at the same time.

Not only will you increase your vertical leap by at least 6 inches or so, but you will also become much, much faster in terms of sprint speed, which if you are a basketball player, you know it is really important and essential to become a complete player, just look at point guard Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns who are arguably the fastest run and gun team in the NBA today much like Magic Johnson and his showtime Los Angeles Lakers were in the 80's.

If you want to improve your vertical leap and start playing with the big boys above the rim, check out my blog The Vertical Project with all the latest free tips about learning how to jumping higher and being the best basketball player you can be.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ryan_Ward http://EzineArticles.com/?How-To-Increase-Your-Vertical-Jump&id=1011001

How To Jump Higher - 5 Tips To Help You Jump Higher

2008-07-29T15:12:00.000-07:00

I want to give you some tips on how to jump higher. Take these tips and follow them to increase vertical leap.

Tip #1

Before you go to work out, you should really warm up effectively to start your muscles off right. You really need your muscles to be loose so that you can really work out at your full potential.

Tip #2

You want to move on to the next set of exercises. The next set of exercises are power exercises which are important for working on much needed muscle strength in you legs. Explosive stretching and jumping exercises make up the power exercises to help you increase vertical leap.

Tip #3

Add some cardiovascular exercises to your routine to help increase your jumping skills. Jump rope and jogging are two cardio exercises that you could do. Exercises like those would speed up your results and really show you how to jump higher.

Tip #4

Increasing your stamina for enhanced sprinting is another one of the important tips to help you jump higher. Sprinting will help you jump higher because it is stretching your muscles in different ways. While you are increasing your muscle strength in your legs, the sprinting will give you enhanced flexibility. Eventually, you'll notice that you're jumping higher because of the the sprinting. This is one of those benefits that people gain from sprinting.

Tip #5

This is definitely one of the most important tips to help you jump higher. If you really want to know how to jump higher, you have to take your workouts to the next level. You need to raise your training up to higher, and more challenging levels. Elevated Jumps, Explosive Jumps, and Double Jumps will allow you to complete your training.

Those are just a few tips that help you jump higher. If you really want to increase vertical leap, and take your training to a totally new level, there are several vertical jump programs available to you. These programs have workouts that are proven to add inches to your vertical with effective techniques. Hopefully you have an answer for how to jump higher.

Is it really possible to add 6 inches to your vertical jump in the next 60 days? Check out my reviews of the top Vertical Jump Programs on the market if you want to find out.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_E_Woods http://EzineArticles.com/?How-To-Jump-Higher---5-Tips-To-Help-You-Jump-Higher&id=1138246

Reviews of the Best Basketaball Products on the Internet: The Vertical Project and Workout Pass

2008-03-23T11:45:00.000-07:00

The Vertical Project

If you play ball, you know there is a lot of crap out there that either promise you that they can make you a better basketball player, make you dunk and start playing like Kobe Bryant or Michael Jordan in no time, but honestly, most of that stuff is absolute shit (pardon my French)!

Magic pills and potions, ridiculous looking shoes, the list goes on and on, but sometimes you will find a product that actually works and isn't a complete waste of your time and money like The Vertical Project and Workout Pass.

Both of these products are top notch and not full of shit (pardon)!

With the Vertical Project you get the best workouts to increase your vertical jump without the funky shoes, magic pills and potions, just good ol fashion drills and proven workout methods. Like anything in this world (the real world), it takes hard work and determination to achieve your goals and/or improve at anything and learning how to jump higher is no different, I am not going to lie to you, it ain't easy to increase your vertical and start playing above the rim, it takes hard work with quite a bit of blood, sweat and tears, but wouldn't you like to start off on your quest to improve your vertical (or start dunking) by doing the right workouts and drills instead of buying a bunch of shit products and getting no where?

Hell yes! So if you want my opinion, check out The Vertical Project and see for yourself: Click Here

Workout Pass: Basketball Workouts

Another thing that every baller that actually wants to improve his or her game (instead of trying the perfect and And 1 move) is learning the best basketball workouts and drills.

Who wouldn't want to learn how to dominate the boards? Who wouldn't want to learn how to be a an elite assist man like Chris Paul or Jason Kidd? Who wouldn't want to learn how to be dominant scorer like Kobe or LeBron?

How do you think the best in College and the NBA perfected their games? With a routine, practice and dedication. So the real question is do you really want to improve your game or you just another poser, trying to act like he can ball?

If you want to learn how to be a better all around basketball player, then you got to check out Workout Pass' Basketball Workouts. You won't be disappointed, Click Here to find out more.

NBA All Stars Annouced with Some Surprises

2008-01-25T02:14:00.000-08:00

NBA All Star Weekend in New Orleans is just around the corner and today we saw who will be taking the floor this year and there are a couple of surprises and a couple of players that got dissed; at least for now.

Of the surprises you got Allen Iverson who is second in the NBA in scoring just behind LeBron James, but the biggest surprise about Iverson making the squad or starting lineup was the fact that he past up the Houston Rocket's Tracy McGrady who was leading the way to take that spot in the West.

Here is how both the East & West starting lineups will look:

Western Conference Starters

Kobe Bryant, Guard Los Angeles Lakers (10 time All Star)
Allen Iverson, Guard Denver Nuggets (9 time All Star)
Carmelo Anthony, Forward Denver Nuggets (2 time All Star)
Tim Duncan, Forward San Antonio Spurs (10 time All Star)
Yao Ming, Center Houston Rockets (6 time All Star)

Eastern Conference Starters

Jason Kidd, Guard New Jersey Nets (9 time All Star)
Dwyane Wade, Guard Miami Heat (4 time All Star)
LeBron James, Forward Cleveland Cavaliers (4 time All Star)
Kevin Garnett, Forward Boston Celtics (11 time All Star)
Dwight Howard, Center Orlando Magic (2 time All Star)

All of these ballers are more than deserving, but what about the other guys who put in work like the Phoenix Suns Steve Nash, Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki or up and coming Brandon Roy from the Portland Trailblazers. Maybe even the Lakers new superstar center Andrew Bynum. Although the reserves haven't been announced, these four guys could without a doubt be starters.

Even though these guys haven't made the cut just yet, these two starting lineups are more than enough to put on a show that will keep your eyes peeled to the screen come NBA All Star Weekend on February 17th in New Orleans on TNT!

Workout Pass: Basketball Workouts

2008-01-18T19:24:00.000-08:00

Everyone who plays basketball wants to play above the rim, but every baller also wants to improve other parts of their game, like fundamentals, stamina, shooting, rebounding, etc...

HoopWorkouts.com is the only resource in the world filled with a full year of workouts created exclusively for serious basketball players.. And as a special bonus, you’ll have free instant access to the world’s largest network of workout sites in the world crammed with over ten thousand workouts for a lot of different sports like Baseball, Swimming, MMA, Boxing, Running, Lacrosse, Golf, Hockey, Soccer, Football and the list goes on and on!

How to Jump Higher! Vertical Leap Secrets from the World's Best Strength Coaches: Part 6

2008-01-18T00:28:00.000-08:00

By Virgil Aponte
www.JumpExperts.com

Learn how former WNBA strength & conditioning coach Virgil Aponte uses stair exercises to to add inches to your vertical jump.

First of all make sure to check out parts 1 – 5

Here’s what was covered in these parts:

Part 1: Kettlebell exercises to jump higher
Part 2: Band training secrets to improve your vertical leap
Part 3: What to do the 22-23 hours outside of the gym to maximize your vertical jump
Part 4: What does speed have to do with jumping higher?
Part 5: Technique, weaknesses and mobility to maximize your vertical

Of course I could not write an article on vertical jump training without discussing stair exercises. After all they do call me “The Stairs Guy, The Stairs Guru, and even Step Daddy”! I was also fortunate enough to see first hand how valuable stair training can be when I served as strength coach the WNBA’s New York Liberty in 2002 & 2003. We actually found ourselves with out places to train. Can you imagine that? Well at the time the New York Knick’s training center was under construction and it really caused problems for us.

So why am so hung up on stair training for power development? The first reason is that stairs lend themselves great to plyometric training.

The exercises of choice are usually box jumping and bounding when it comes to plyometric training. Stairs can replace the need for a box and bounding actually requires no equipment. Another thing I like about stairs is that you can develop a rhythm which I believe to be very important. By this I mean you jump from stair to stair for the prescribe number of repetitions. You really can’t do this with a box which makes the stairs a better choice.

Another thing is I believe a hard surface works best when doing power development training. A harder surface gives you a better ground reaction force thus making you more powerful. Some trainers actually use sand training and I think this actually defeats the purpose of getting a forceful stretch-shortening reaction. Keep this in mind though as a hard surface can be hard on your joints. Stair work for power development should be done no more than 2 times a week. And if you are in season it should be done only once a week with very low volume or low level hops (1 or 2 steps at most) and a way to condition. Steve Cotter makes an excellent point in his talk on power development training: It’s like homeopathic medicine. You want a little bit of the poison so that you adapt to it and get stronger and more powerful. So only a little bit of power development training in stairs can go a long way. Just remember to work hard, be intense and don’t over do it! In fact our power development work in the stairs only takes up 15-25 minutes 1-2 times a week.

Stairs serve as excellent equipment for plyometric training for many reasons. You have steps which serve as indicators of improvement. When an athlete begins he/she may be able to hop up 1 step at a time. As the athlete improves they can hop up 2-3 or even 4 steps at a time showing marked improvement.

Actual plyometric training equipment can be very expensive and usually is not available to many athletes. This is not the case with stairs.

The next reason is because stairs are excellent for high end anaerobic conditioning and speed development. So what do I mean by high end conditioning. Simple: The conditioning that leaves you bent over and gasping for air. Getting in killer shape is important because jumping takes a lot of you. More importantly is that a great jump is just that a great jump. You want to also be able to have a great jump through out an entire basketball game. Don’t be the athlete that looks good in warm-ups when nothing is on the line. Be the athlete that can jump, block shots, get rebounds, dunk and make a difference in the 4th quarter.

On top of that is that running and hopping up stairs for conditioning will in fact improve strength and power. In fact even if you just adopt running up stairs for conditioning you’ll notice significant improvement in strength and power. The reason for this is because you are training to move your body against gravity and that inherently has a strength & power component. Even further is that in season you will want to curtail the heavy power development work because of all the jumping you are already doing. But you can still do the high end anaerobic conditioning (usually running up stairs) because it is time efficient and gives lots of bang for your buc (conditioning, strength & power).

Virgil Aponte brings over 12 years of experience as a Personal Trainer, High School PE Teacher and Strength & Conditioning Coach. He has trained hundreds of people including elite professional athletes of the Women’s National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball. He earned his Master's Degree in Physical Education from Brooklyn College and is an American College of Sports Medicine Health & Fitness Instructor. Based in Brooklyn New York he is considered by many fitness industry experts as the authority on stair exercise training and is the author and creator of the Ultimate Stair Exercises for Athletes & creator of http://www.JumpExperts.com To learn more about vertical jump training from over 13 strength coaches visit http://www.JumpExperts.com

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How to Jump Higher! Vertical Leap Secrets from the World's Best Strength Coaches: Part 5

2008-01-18T00:17:00.000-08:00

By Virgil Aponte
www.JumpExperts.com

If it's one thing I know for sure, it's that there are numerous ways to improve your vertical jump. And for this reason I went on a mission to get the vertical jump training secrets of 13 of the world's best strength coaches. In this 5th installment discover simple techniques that you can incorporate immediately for quick increases in your jumping ability.

First of all make sure to check out parts 1 – 4

Here’s what was covered in these parts:

So what else can I possibly cover on vertical jump training? Well when you consider that I learned from over 13 of the world’s strength coaches there is certainly a lot more. And when I say world class that is exactly what I mean. Here’s a quick review of who these vertical jump experts have trained.

San Francisco 49er, San Diego Chargers, Los Angeles Clippers, New York Liberty, Los Angeles Sparks, Washington Mystics, Women’s National Soccer team, St. John’s University, St. Anthony’s HS Basketball team and much more. The list is actually to big to list!

So it is safe to say that there is a lot more.

Now, what if I told you that there is a gentleman that helps people improve their vertical in only 20 minutes? Well this is exactly what Gray Cook learned when doing university research on jump training.

When researching who I would like to learn from on vertical jump performance I was lucky enough to meet and learn from world renowned physical therapist Gray Cook at a Perform Better Seminar. And being the nerd and nice guy that I am I asked him if he would be willing to do an interview with me on vertical jump training. I really wanted to get information from Gray on his functional movement screen FMS. And like I said earlier the great thing in speaking with Gray is that he actually did his university research on vertical jump training. Gray is a big proponent of perfecting your technique in order to maximize your vertical jump. Gray used light resistance bands to make sure his subjects jumped properly. If you jumped with bad form the bands would magnify this so you had to jump correctly. What did this do? This group improved their vertical and reaction times in only 20 minutes!

And even better is the correct neural programming this sets up so you go out and practice on top of this new programming.

Connecticut based strength coach Jimmy Smith was referred to me by radio talk show host and sports nutritionist Dave Depew. He had some great things to say but he came up with a good one most people forget. Work on those weaknesses! If it’s so simple why aren’t many coaches not doing this and sticking with cookie cutter crap. I see this way too much. We must not get married to any exercise or program. The athletes that can back squat should back squat. But the ones that can’t should do an alternative. Remember this, there is always an alternative. Even world famous Strength coach Mike Boyle speaks of being in love with the squat and not wanted to scrap it with players that complained of knee pain from squatting. Stay single and play the field when it comes to exercise selection. You’ll be glad you did.

Another great point Jimmy made was the importance of staying away from plyometric exercises when in season. In season basketball athletes already jump way too much. Why should u ask them for 20-40 more jumps during plyo work? Get then in the weight room to keep their strength up which can decline during the season. Then in the off-season work on power development. Of course there is flip side to that for weekend warriors like myself. I don’t practice everyday and play pick-up games 3-5 times a month. In this case it makes sense to use plyo work to prepare your body for the demands of basketball.

Mike Robertson chipped in on another over looked component of vertical training or any training for that matter. And that my friend is mobility training. As Mike pointed out: If you Google vertical jump training you’ll get thousands of hits focusing on strength and plyometric training. But mobility is a critical factor many don’t touch on and that is a big mistake. And don’t make the mistake of thinking mobility is the same of flexibility. Mobility is the ability to use your flexibility while you move. If you can’t reach certain positions in makes it a lot harder to maximize your performance. Mobility training will help you to achieve this and even better yet is that you can do it as a warm-up and with minimal time.

Gray Cook, Jimmy Smith & Mike Robertson shared a great deal more than what was written here but then again this is just a quick summary of things I knew could help right away. For more free information on how improving your technique, weaknesses and mobility will Increase Your Vertical make sure to visit www.JumpExperts.com right now!

JumpExperts.com

How to Jump Higher! Vertical Leap Secrets from the World's Best Strength Coaches: Part 4

2008-01-18T00:12:00.000-08:00

By Virgil Aponte
www.JumpExperts.com

From my experience there are numerous ways to improve your vertical jump. And for this reason I went on a mission to get the vertical jump training secrets of 13 of the world's best strength coaches. In this fourth installment you'll learn how speed training will increase your vertical jump and why the feet should be considered when putting a program together.

As a quick recap you can check out parts 1, 2 & 3 for more vertical jump training tips from over 13 of the world’s best strength coaches.

There is a lot to these parts so don’t miss them:

Kettlebell vertical jump secrets
Band training to jump much higher
The Assessments used by Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls to maximize their performance

Here’s a quick question for you? Would you follow the advice of a speed expert for vertical jump training? If your answer is no then I highly suggest you finish reading this article.

I was able to peacefully grill world class speed expert Lee Taft. Lee is a true gentlemen and an excellent teacher. So what can one learn about vertical jump performance from a speed expert? Well when you consider that the fastest athletes usually jump the highest I knew that Lee’s Insights would really help here. Lee first tackled the importance of injury prevention by teaching proper jumping technique and making sure to maintain and yes train for optimal posture. One thing to take home is how Lee feels about injury prevention and many coaches forget that. Remember this: No matter how high you jump it means nothing if you are saddled with an injury!

One big point Lee touched upon was keeping an optimal strength to weight ratio. To do this it’s important to keep your body fat levels low and use strength training protocols that specifically target strength (ie lows reps up to 5). This actually a big thing with speed training as many times increasing your speed is a matter of just achieving an optimal weight to strength ratio.

Another point Lee spoke about was the value of barefoot training which was also discussed in great detail by the founder of StandAPARTFitness.com, John Izzo. As simple as it may seem 99 percent of us never give the feet a second thought. We just cover them up with the latest pair of basketball shoes and that is it. Big mistake! The stronger your feet are the better your vertical jump and overall athletic performance will be. In fact shoes actually weaken our feet so it makes a lot of sense to work on strengthening them with bare foot training. Did you know that a simple ankle restriction will decrease the force generated from the musculature around your hips. Do you think that’s important? Well when you consider that 80 percent of the force is generated by the hips that can easily translate to inches. Instead of working to get stronger work on fixing the restrictions on the ankle joint and you instantly will add more force and jump higher!

Now truth be told Lee Taft and John Izzo shared a great deal more than what was written here but then again this is just a quick summary of things I knew could help right away. For more free information on how speed training & bare foot training will Improve Your Vertical Leap make sure to visit Jump Experts today!

JumpExperts.com

How to Jump Higher! Vertical Leap Secrets from the World's Best Strength Coaches: Part 3

2008-01-18T00:07:00.000-08:00

By Virgil Aponte
www.JumpExperts.com

If it's one thing I know for sure, it's that there are numerous ways to improve your vertical jump. And for this reason I went on a mission to get the vertical jump training secrets of 13 of the world's best strength coaches. In this third installment you'll learn jump training secrets use by none other than the Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls.

In parts 1 and 2 of this vertical jump series I shared how kettle bells and bands can help you maximize you vertical jump. If you missed be sure to check it out because there is lots of valuable information that will help you or your athletes.

Now if you think that’s all there is to it my friend, you’ve got to think again.

Most people fall into the trap of thinking that the time they spend working out is all it takes. What about the other 22-23 hours in a day?

With that in mind I was able to grill CHEK Practitioner Elliot Hulse who wrote the book Unleash Your Primal Edge and Owns the Institute for Strength & Vitality in Florida. Elliot’s unique approach to improving your vertical delves into treating the body as a whole and learning through many unique assessments what you actually need as far as exercises and nutrition goes. Basically Elliot helps you learn if you are hunter (ready to maximize your vertical) or hunted (in need of readiness exercises and diet changes before you can proceed). This was amazing as we forget way too many times that what we do the other 23 hours a day away from the gym is vitally important to our performance. Who has the CHEK method helped over the years? How about that little team that won 6 NBA championships: Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls!

So forget what you are doing in the gym for the moment and think to yourself am I eating right, sleeping right, handling stress and living right so that I can maximize what I do in the gym and on the court. Doing Elliot’s assessments will surprise many of you and certainly lead you in the right direction.

If I was to reveal all I learned from 13 of the world’s best vertical leap experts it would take you a while to digest as Jump Experts has over 440 pages and 7 hours of audio! To get more free information about the assessments you can use to help you Maximize your Vertical Leap hop on over to JumpExperts today!

How to Jump Higher! Vertical Leap Secrets from the World's Best Strength Coaches: Part 2

2008-01-17T23:57:00.000-08:00

By Virgil Aponte
www.JumpExperts.com

If you want to jump higher then this series is for you. Now remember there are many ways to do this and for this reason I went out and got the vertical jump training secrets of 13 of the worlds best strength coaches. In this second installment you'll learn the jump training secrets of the world's best band training experts. Best of all is that these Jump Experts have proven track records with athletes from the NBA, WNBA, NCAA, NFL, MLB, MLS and National Ranked High School Teams!

As I mentioned in part one in late 2006 I decided to get on the phone and grill over 13 world class strength coaches on their vertical training methods. How can you go wrong when you have over 13 of the nation’s best experts teach you first hand what they know on vertical jump training?

And the best thing for me was the learning experience. I learned so much from these world class coaches and here is my chance to share what I learned. I must warn you though: There is a chance you can bang your head on the rim by following these vertical jump tips!

In part 1 of this series I got a chance to share vertical jump training secrets from 3 kettlebell training experts. If you did not read part 1 makes sure to check it because there is a great deal you can learn from these gentlemen.

Next I got chance to grill Jon Hinds, Dave Schmitz and Burke Spencer. They are true gentlemen, world class strength coaches but they too share a unique distinction. They are known in training circles as band training experts and each brings a unique twist to their band training expertise. Dave makes great use of the famous Flex Bands and Jon and Burke are the actually inventors of their band products.

For those that think band training is only for home gym workouts and general fitness tools think again. These gentlemen will teach you that they are excellent tools for maximizing your workouts and have the resume of working with elite pro athletes in many sports to prove it.

1. The big point to drive home is that you need to use a band that adds resistance but not so much that you wreck your form. Band training is meant to be fast so you need to choose an appropriate level of resistance. Dave Schmitz even spoke of the bigger guys being humbled by the use of the heaviest bands. This is certainly not the way to go. Once you can touch the rim with simple medium or even light bands get ready to start dunking and grabbing more rebounds!

2. Another big point these band experts drive home is the importance of proper technique: Remember to jump explosively and land quietly. As Jon Hinds put it: Land like a cat. Other tips to keep in mind are to keep your chest up and butt out, make sure knees track toward the second and big toe and your weight is distributed 50/50 on each side.

3. The great thing I love about bands is you work hard and fast with little resistance (compared to traditional weights).

So to review bands give you the ability to train fast with a resistance heavy enough to make you work harder and improve yet light enough that it does not destroy your form and hurt your progress. Bands are also great to drop in on almost any exercise. They all had slightly different ways of using bands but the premises were very similar. Train fast using movements that will maximize your jumping.

Jon Hinds really drove home another big point. Don’t forget to add jumping to increase your jumping ability. You’ll be surprised to see how many people forget this! We have many programs that focus on every exercise under the sun except what we are trying to do and that is jump! visit www.JumpExperts.com today and get instant access to over 440 pages and 7 hours of audio interviews on vertical jump training today!

JumpExperts.com

How to Jump Higher! Vertical Leap Secrets from the World's Best Strength Coaches: Part 1

2008-01-17T23:48:00.000-08:00

By Virgil Aponte
www.JumpExperts.com

We all want to jump higher but there are many ways to tackle this goal. Because of that I went on a mission to get the vertical jump training secrets of over 13 of the worlds best strength coaches. Best of all is that these Jump Experts have proven track records with athletes from the NBA, WNBA, NCAA, NFL, MLB, MLS and National Ranked High School Teams!

For years I’ve used stair training to maximize my power which lead me to using them with the hundreds of athletes I’ve trained including players from Major League Baseball and the Women’s National Basketball Association. And because of my work with professional athletes and my love for basketball I get many questions from people all over the world on vertical jump training. And since I don’t know it all (far from it) I know it’s in my best interest to learn from other strength coaches, personal trainers, physical therapists, nutritionists, doctors and so on. And I’m actually pretty lucky as I can pick up the phone or email many of the best trainers in the world and pick their brain on performance enhancement.

So in late 2006 I decided to get on the phone and grill over 13 world class strength coaches on their vertical training methods. How can you go wrong when you have over 13 of the nation’s best experts teach you first hand what they know on vertical jump training?

The first group of guys I will speak of are Jason C Brown, Steve Cotter and Brett Jones. Besides being gentlemen and world class strength coaches they also share the unique distinction of being kettlebell training experts.

I must admit when I first learned about kettlebells years back I never really gave it much thought because I thought you could do kettlebell exercises with a dumbbell. As I quickly learned, you can not do exercises that are specific to kettlebells with a dumbbell. It’s not the same. Try a kettlebell swing with a dumbbell and they are very different. Now this is not to say that dumbbells are bad. This is just to say that each piece of equipment has a specific use and each has its own advantages and disadvantages.

In speaking with the gentlemen a few things ring through with kettlebell lifting that make them excellent tools for vertical jump training.

1. It is very hard to find an exercise that mimics the motion of vertical jumping better than the kettlebell swing. Further more is that you can perform the exercise explosively. Now this is not to say that power cleans or snatches are not great exercises that teach explosive hip extension but they are more technical and harder to teach. This is simply not the case with the kettlebell swing which makes it excellent for working with large groups. Our weight room workouts have over 40 student athletes working out at once and introducing the kettlebell has been a blessing because I find it much easier to teach the movements than power cleans. And even easier than teaching the hang clean. Does this mean I’m lazy? No, I just happened to find a better tool for teaching athletes explosive hip extension. Will I abandon the power and hang clean? No. Now I have even more exercises in my tool box which makes it easier not to be married to a set a certain exercise.

So what’s the lesson here? If you can add kettlebells into your training programs you have an excellent vertical jump training tool that is hard to beat.

2. Another great thing about kettlebells reiterated by Steve Cotter is that there is a unique quality in the shape of kettlebells: The shape I believe and many other trainers will agree is that they actually guide you into proper form. Because of the round shape any deviance from bad form and you automatically feel it so you get right back into the correct groove. This is key and something I’ve never really experienced with barbells and dumbbells. Furthermore, a big premise of kettlebells is that training is practice and practice develops your skill. The more skilled you are the stronger you will be and the higher you will jump. I mean do you ever really see guys that can jump or are really fast not run or jump with excellent form? Not really. Fix someone’s technique and form and that in itself will help them jump higher.

3. Keep things simple. Read that again and again. All three guys alluded to this. We know what works and have known for a long time. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel and just use what we already know. Basics like the dead lift, squat and its variations combined with explosive lifting, actually jumping, and of course excellent technique will take you very far.

4. Another big point to drive home from this panel was keeping the reps low (3-5) when strength training. A great vertical requires excellent strength and that means to train movements like the dead lift, squat and pull-ups with low reps to develop that strength. No need for higher reps as that can lead to weight gain and possibly using bad form. Simple enough right. 5 sets of 5 reps on big bang exercises and you are good to go! Don’t forget to practice your jumping. I mean would you ask someone wanting to improve their speed not to sprint?

Get more Vertical Jump Training Secrets from Steve, Jason and Brett along with over 10 more Vertical Leap Experts at:

Jump Experts

How To Separate Your Basketball Game and IQ From the Competition

2008-01-17T23:17:00.000-08:00

Go Basketball Pro

From: Rali Todd

The Pros Closely Guarded Secret Weapon

It's simple and It's Basic, your number # 1 secret of success will always be knowing your Niche and using it to separate yourself form every other Baller out there.

This is the most over-looked art of figuring out what your coach really needs and developing an Identity on the court.

What is a Niche?

I'm Glad you asked!

Your niche is how you are different from everyone else. It is the one aspect that you are great at, not good at, but great at.

It is the one thing that will get you on a team, or get you cut off of a team.

This should be common sense for all Ballers, and yet it will be your secret weapon. Because most of your competition will forever ignore the fundamentals of Defining a Niche, or screw it up (since they've never bothered to pay attention to the lessons).

It's relatively easy to perform a play or move that gets a coach to say Hey, that ballers pretty good. But that doesn't mean they will pick you to be on their team or pursue you to play for them.

No. You want your prospect Coach to say -- after experiencing watching you play -- "Wow! Thats Exactly what I need on my team, How do I get them to consider playing for me?"

But getting a coach to be 'Jaw Dropped' and begging you to play for them is a much more complex process. You don't have to understand the biology or chemistry that goes on... but you DO have to realize that dominating the hardwood requires a lot of knowledge and a little skill.

It's not difficult. But it's not something most people naturally learn to do.
There are a few key secrets to Identifying A Niche that -- once you master them -- will guarantee that EVERY Time you step on the court every coach and player will be astonished and you will start leaving your dominating trail of legacy along the way.

That's how the greats are formed. First by identifying their niche and then by working to master their niche. Most Ballers Play From their Heels meaning they blow it when it comes to Discovering what aspect of the game they are dominate at. They stumble along the way guessing how to develop their game and normally find them selves in a dark hole with no way to get out.

The Baller Graveyard is crammed with great talented ballers that failed to identify and work on their niche.

However, when you master the basics of Developing a Niche and continually working to master your niche, you will start to see and feel the benefits that come with being a unique Hot-Ticket ball player.

Whatever results you're getting will instantly be multiplied many times, as soon as you apply the secrets of Niche Discovering.

If you look at any of the Dominating Forces in the pros you will find that it is easy to identify their niche:

Ray Allen- Shooting
Bruce Bowen- Defense
Steve Nash and Jason Kidd- passing and play making
Kobe Bryant and LeBron James- Scoring
Shaq- Post Dominating
Dwight Howard- Rebounding
Tim Duncan- Fundamentals

And the list goes on and on with other big time ballers like the always passionate Kevin Garnet, Allen Iverson with the killer crossover and Vince Carter's high fly act.

They discovered their Niche and developed a plan to master it, not just to be good at it but to be great at it.

So how do you figure out what's your Gold key Niche?

Easy, ask yourself what do you think you are the best at, what important aspect of basketball do you always do well, or tend to be better then others at.

It would also be a great idea if you asked your coach, parents, teammates and other players that do not personally know you but have seen you play before.

It is also very important to receive honest opinions, and you should not ask someone you believe who falsely tell you something just to, please you, get the truth.

If you have an identified niche, you will be that much more dominant and coaches would much rather recruit a player that performs a certain task very well like passing then trying to recruit a player that they will have to develop those certain skill they are looking for.

Now once you have identified your niche, you have found a pot of gold, an you will be 100 steps ahead of your competition.

You see, if you do not have a niche, and really do not understand what kind of a player you are or what you do very well, you will just confuse all the coaches and recruits that are interested in you.

The most common mistake that I have seen with lack of niche identification normally happens with guards.

You know what I am talking about, that guard that you see but you really do not know if he is a point guard or a shooting guard, it's like he is stuck in the middle.
And if you are stuck in the middle, you are not going any where.

Allen Iverson is a perfect example, he was having problems figuring out what kind of player he was, and his game struggled, but once he committed to being a two guard, his game flourished and he become an NBA ALL-STAR.

So determine your niche and commit to mastering it, whatever it is, it might be scoring, shooting, rebounding, defense, passing, play making or even teammate support.

If you do not have a niche, get one or you will never get to the next level.

That's all for today.

However, remember that these Strategy Baller mini-classes are just "tastes" of what I have for you.

When you're finally ready to get serious about moving ahead of everyone else in hoops domination, go back to Go Basketball Pro and see what the complete menu looks like.

You can test-drive any option there, without risk or worry. Just pick the option that fits your needs, and give it a trial run. You don't have to risk a penny to see it ALL.

Find out for yourself why so many top Pro ballers give me Credit and hide me away as their secret weapon for their wealth and fame.

Until then...

Rali Todd,
Training Hurts
Sitting on the Bench Hurts More!

Check it out here: Go Basketball Pro