An explosive vertical leap is one of a basketball player’s main arsenal. You’ve seen high-flyers in the NBA with much success. The same goes for college players. The higher the vertical leap, the bigger the chances of getting to the ball quicker, shooting over opponents, and getting easier shots off.
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Let’s look at some of the plyometric and strengthening exercises Fighting Irish basketball players do to increase their hops.
Calf raises: Since the calves are extensively used when jumping, basketball players do it to strengthen their calf muscles.
Jump squats: Jump squats are plyometric exercises that strengthen almost all the leg muscles, especially the quads and calves to give the player an explosive jump from a squatting position. Repeating this movement tears and rebuilds leg muscles, making them stronger.
Box jumps: Box jumps can be done on just about any platform. It’s a variation of a jump squat except that the player jumps on a different level. As he gets stronger, the level of the platform gets higher. Sometimes, athletes vary the movement by jumping on a single leg.
For both the jump squats and box jumps, many Notre Dame basketball players attach ankle weights to their legs to make them heavier and add resistance to the movements.
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Hi! I’m Tom Colton, a University of Notre Dame student. I’m a big fan of Fighting Irish sports teams. For more on Notre Dame sports, visit this blog.
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