There is a certain glory that comes with being able to shoot a basketball. If you can do 3 pointers each time, great. But if you can charge down the court and dunk the ball, you instantly gain credibility. There are many things an athlete can do to improve his vertical jump height. These are the things that I have found to work best for me.

1. Squats! You must increase the strength of your legs to propel your body weight off the ground. The best way to do this is by doing squats. Don’t do powerlifting style squats where you see how much weight you can put on the bar and you only do it once. Instead, do about 3/4 of your max weight and explode in a fast motion instead of a slow, down-and-up motion like you normally would. Do at least 20 reps with each set.

2. Upgrade! Grab a chair and place it directly in front of you. Put your right foot on the chair and simply push yourself up onto the chair concentrating on flexing your butt. Lower and repeat with the left foot. Do this until you can no longer get on the chair.

3. Jumps! Stand about 2 feet away from a wall. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees, crouch down and explode up. Raise your hands up and touch the wall at your maximum height. Mark the wall with a piece of tape so you have something to aim for with each jump. Now repeat the jump until you can no longer reach the mark. Within a few days, you will begin to see your mark moving up the wall.