How to get bounce in basketball

7 Exercises to Improve Jump and Agility

In basketball, having a strong vertical jump and flash-like agility isn’t an option, it’s a requirement. If you are having trouble with your vertical jump or agility,  just practicing lay-ups and running laps around the court doesn’t mean you will get any better.  When you want to jump higher and have insane side-to-side agility reflexes, you need to base your basketball skills training on the best and most proven exercises. Here is a basketball skills training program that must be in your weekly workouts for explosiveness.  

7 Basketball Skills Training 

This upgraded version of the traditional fitness exercise is sure to skyrocket your vertical jump. What’s more, it develops explosive power that will easily come in handy with your agility on the court. It activates the fast-twitch fibers of several major muscle groups in the lower body including the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, hip flexors, and calves. If you want to jump higher, these are a must.

How to Perform: Stand tall with your feet at shoulder-width distance. Keep your chest up as you bend at the knees and sit back as if you’re about to sit in a chair. Once your thighs reach parallel, push through your heels in an explosive jump straight up in the air. Land softly and immediately go into your next jump squat.

Ability Focus:

• Vertical Jump
• Explosive Power

Another great way to increase your explosive power, tuck knee jumps aren’t just a way for you to jump higher. They also demand lower body control to bring the knees up, touch the chest, and return before you land. This exercise will increase coordination, fast-twitch fiber control, and, of course, all-out power.

How to Perform: Stand tall with your chest up and feet at shoulder-width apart. Similar to the jump squat, you’ll start by bending slightly at the knees and driving your hips back only a little bit. From here, jump straight up into the air. Simultaneously flex your pelvis and bring your knees up towards your chest. Reverse the motion and land softly. Take a pause to correct any posture issues then perform the next repetition.

Focus:

• Vertical Jump
• Explosive Power
• Lower body control

Consider this the next level of the jump squat. It will combine the explosive upward motion of the jump squat with a standard overhead reach that is all too common in your sport. You might find that you can jump higher with this variation of the exercise from the momentum of the overhead reach itself. We don’t need to tell you how important a strong overhead reach is for defense and catching passes.

How to Perform: Stand tall with your chest up and feet at shoulder-width apart. Similar to the two exercises above, you’ll start by bending slightly at the knees and driving your hips back only a little bit. From here, jump straight up into the air. The big difference is that as you jump, you’ll simultaneously launch your hands skyward. As you descend, bring your hands into a defensive position close to the chest. Land soft, readjust your posture, and begin again.

Focus:

· Vertical Jump

· Explosive Power

· Reaching ability

Training your body, regardless of the athletic goal, requires a balance of multi-joint and isolation movements. When you isolate a muscle group, you are strengthening its ability to perform a specific movement, which in turn will support the larger muscle group movements. In this case of improving your jumping ability and agility, you’ll want to perform single-legged cross jumps.

How to Perform: You will make the shape of a cross with thisjumping drill. Start on the left leg with the right leg tucked behind. With your chest up and core tight, leap forward with your left leg. While still facing forward, leap on your left leg to the left side and down. Now leap directly to the right, and finally back to the starting position. Switch legs and begin again.

Focus:

• Vertical Jump
• Explosive Power
• Agility

Let’s focus more on the agility side of things, although explosive power will continue to be developed and improve your vertical jump. A classic athletic drill, wall touches or cone taps are great for developing those quick reflexes that will show in your improved agility.

How to Perform: Set up two cones a good distance apart from one another. Begin in the middle of the cones. If you’re using walls, stand between two walls. An indoor racquet ball court works best. Sprint to your right as fast as you can, tap the cone or wall, then immediately change direction and do the same on the other side. You can vary the distances for each set that you do. If you’re using cones, you can also add a second or third pair in a ladder-like arrangement, where you’ll have to sprint in a zig-zag fashion from side to side.

Focus:

• Agility
• Explosive Power

Everyone performs box jumps, even the Average Joes at the gym. For basketball players, box jumps are going to be incredibly important but there’s a twist: you’ll be jumping in a lateral fashion. Lateral box jumps will strengthen your hip flexors, which will benefit your side-to-side agility with an emphasis on sudden stop-and-go.

How to Perform: Arrange a steady box on the ground. Stand next to it with your left side facing the box. Keep your chest up and core tight as you slightly bend your knees. Explosively leap from the ground and completely on the box. You can choose to step down or lightly jump back into the starting position. Once you finish your prescribed repetitions, switch sides. Make sure you vary the height of the boxes during the workout, challenging yourself to increase the height.

Focus:

• Explosive Power
• Agility
• Jumping Ability

Our final workout is a classic that is used by athletes in every sport, but uphill sprints have a unique place in the basketball player’s workout. Uphill sprints dramatically improve your endurance levels, but more importantly for performance, they skyrocket your explosive power and lower body strength.

How to Perform: Begin with a warm-up before tackling sprints. Starting from the bottom of a hill, give yourself about 10 to 20 feet to work up your speed. Run for those 10 to 20 feet then once you hit the hill, go all out. Run as fast as you can until you reach the top of the hill, walk back down, rest for a few moments, and do it again. Do not sprint down the hill.

Focus:

• Explosive Power
• Lower Body Strength

Get More Training Drills

Increase Bounce For Basketball Players

With the NBA and high school basketball in full swing, let’s talk about how to increase your vertical jump for basketball. When looking at the vertical jump for basketball there are a bunch of different kinds of jumps (2 foot take off, 1 foot take off, 2nd jump capability), so it is important we train for all of them. There is no doubt that being able to jump higher than your opponent will give you a distinct advantage. For example, if you have a high vertical you can elevate over your opponent for a layup or jump shot; as well as high point a rebound over them. In this blog we will go over what are the 5 best exercises to help increase the vertical jump for Basketball Players.

Russell Westbrook (Houston Rockets), Lebron James (Los Angeles Lakers), Zion Williamson (New Orleans Pelicans)… What first comes to mind when you hear those names? Hopefully you thought of EXPLOSIVENESS! All 3 mentioned are highly dynamic athletes that can jump out of the gym. You are probably wondering how do these players jump so high?

Were they born that way? Good genetics? Do they have a certain training program that built their vertical up? Is it their jump mechanics?

Well I would say it is a combination of all the three I mentioned above (Genetics, Jump Mechanics, and Training). Think of it like a triple double, your rebounds don’t out way your assists or points. You need all 3 stats to get that triple double. Same with maximizing your vertical jump!! Let’s be honest here, your genetics will play a big part in your athleticism. For example, some are born with more type IIa muscle fibers, which will then in turn make them more explosive.

Before we go any further, let’s talk about dunking. Having a high vertical jump and dunking are 2 different things. One can be 5‘5 with a 40 inch vertical and not be able to dunk a basketball, but a guy who is 6’5 with long arms and a 30inch vertical can. Again this goes back to genetics! When it comes to jumping higher though, looking at your vertical jump should be your main concern.

Performance training will tie everything together! Being on a proper training regimen, this will allow you to maximize your genetic athletic potential. With proper training, you will be working on your jump mechanics and strengthen the areas related to vertical jump power.

Jumping Mechanics, are another important element in the vertical jump that is often overlooked by athletes. When we say jumping mechanics we mean: does the athlete have a proper hip/knee bend? Arm swing? What angle is their torso at? Velocity of their jump? …. There are a bunch of different factors in jumping mechanics that can make or break the height of your jump. Once you have mastered the mechanics of a jump, that will only be able to take you so high. Thus, you will hit a plateau on the height of your jump. Here is where performance training comes in!

This exercise is great because it will help work on jump mechanics and the ability to absorb and produce force. When doing the depth drop, it will focus on absorbing the landing and the back swing of your jump. As soon as you hit the ground, swing those arms forward and push explosively through your legs so you land on the box. The less ground contact time the better! Think if you can explode up quicker than your opponent to get a rebound or jump ball, the better outcome for your team. This exercise will also help improve your second jump capability. An example of using a second jump in basketball would be missing a shot inside the key and jumping back up right away to grab the rebound so you can shoot again. The speed of absorption and exploding up is crucial.

This exercise has all the same benefits as the one listed above, except it will be focusing on single leg instead of two. Unilateral training is very important to basketball players because they are jumping off one foot a lot of the time when attacking the rim while doing a traditional layup. Generally, basketball players will develop asymmetries within their legs because they are performing a dominant hand layup more often, thus leading to jumping off a certain leg more. Single leg training will help you develop power and a balance of strength within each leg!

The Hex Bar Deadlift is a great foundational lift to target strength! Strength is key to increase vertical jump because the stronger you are, the more force you can produce. Then when you go ahead and perform a jump, you are producing the same force as you were if you were lifting 300lbs on the deadlift. There is a reason why Olympic weightlifters and powerlifters always have a surprisingly high vertical for their size and weight. It doesn’t really come that shocking to fitness coaches though because olympic weightlifters and powerlifters are always training at high intensities building strength. That strength will then translate over in a vertical jump because the production of force is so great. Moral of the story, get strong!

This plyometric exercise is perfect for hoopers. The 3 Hurdle Jump Continuous will target increasing your stretch shortening cycle, the ability to stretch your muscles and contract them rapidly. This drill will not only target vertical jump height, but 2nd jump capability. Remember, 2nd jump capability is when you jump then land, then jump again. This is key among basketball players because in games there will be many scenarios when they need to rejump. For example, a player drives in for a layup and misses. In order for him to recover his rebound versus his opponent he would need to land after his missed shot and jump back up again quickly to grab the rebound. Once he grabs the rebound, he then needs to land and jump back up to shoot again. The increase in the stretch shortening cycle will help with the speed of continuous jumps.

This resisted plyometric exercise is perfect for being explosive and quick, while being able to challenge yourself on the tension. Sometimes bodyweight plyometrics can only get you so far before you plateau, that is why resistance is key to target changes in your body. This is a reflection of the Progressive Overload Principle (In order for a muscle to grow, strength to be gained, performance to increase, or for any similar improvement to occur, the human body must be forced to adapt to a tension that is above and beyond what it has previously experienced. ) The resistance for the Vertimax Squat Jump will be the banded tension (harder on the way up, pulls you faster on the down). This power exercise is perfect for increasing vertical jump because it mimics the exact mechanics of a jump.

Try this VERTICAL JUMP CHALLENGE at home:

One key thing to remember when doing these 5 exercises is to keep the sets in the 3-5 range, reps around the 5-8 range, and get proper rest time between sets 2-5mins. The reason for the certain ranges is because we are looking to target strength and power. We need to be well rested and keep the reps low so we can perform each repetition explosively. The ranges would be different though if we were looking to train for endurance or hypertrophy. Program these 5 exercises into your training regimen and you should start to see increases in your vertical jump!

Want to become an Activ8 Athlete but don’t live in the greater San Diego area?

Check out our online training platform below and reach out to us at [email protected]. We’re glad to spend time with you and talk about how we can create a program encompassing everything you need to train like a Pro! 

How to get results in basketball

"Any experienced basketball player will tell you that there is a huge difference between learning and applying technique!"

Online basketball expert, national level player

Any experienced basketball player will tell you that there is a huge difference between learning and applying technique! It's only natural that beginners (or those who are returning to play after a long break) get caught up in the game on the court - all you hear is "rush. ..to the rim...lead...use the whole court". All your strength is focused on not making mistakes, in order to know that you do not let your team down. What exactly are you doing? Positions? rebounds? Blocks? Intercepts? This is really important, but there are other great ways to add value to the team. Take a break from your own achievements - this will allow you to become a more valuable player. This article does not contain obvious advice on keeping fit, working on speed, dribbling, serving, etc. But here you will find 5 ways to become more efficient from the very next game. You are much closer to success than you think!

The main reason basketball players lose passes and miss comfortable rebounds is because their hands aren't ready. This seems obvious, but still deserves special attention. Your hands should always be ready to receive the pass, and your palms are directed towards the ball - the server will perceive them as a target.

Here are a few exercises you can do during your warm-up to prepare for the game:

The correct execution of passes gives confidence on the site. However, there are a few things to keep in mind here.

The basics of technique play a huge role for beginners. Practice a 2-handed chest pass and a bounce pass. After that, you can move on to other methods.

Don't pass just for the sake of passing. Determine who can take the pass, who can't, (identify strong offensive players, weak defenders) and go for it!

IMPORTANT: DO NOT KEEP THE BALL - make passes and passes will be made to you.

Low, wide stance: There are only 2 cases where you should deviate from this rule - this is rebounding and covering the ball. In any other situation, it is important that the stance is low: straight back, bent knees, feet shoulder-width apart, arms extended forward. In this position, you are firmly on your feet and ready to respond to passes. It is very important to be between the defender and the ring.

This is the main way to participate in offense without the ball! If you are a beginner basketball player, then you will most likely score infrequently. Perform screenings to:

1. give partners the opportunity to open up
2. open yourself

Shield the dribbler, shield your opponents without the ball (to help your teammates) and keep moving. The ball will find its way to you.

1. This allows you to strengthen the attack - so it will be more difficult for defenders to keep track of all opponents;
2. You will be in a better position to shoot/pass/dribble to the basket when you receive the ball.

Do not forget that your hands should always be ready.

Try to consciously change positions (moving quickly between two points on the court) so that you get used to playing from different points. A conscious change of position will bring you the location of your team, but the enemy defender will clearly dislike you!

This is certainly not a complete list of tips, but rest assured that if you follow them, your next game will be better than the last!

Forward!

9 tips from Jay Wolf

Hello, dear visitors of the website basketball-training.org.ua ! In this article, we will talk about one of the most important basketball elements - the throw. And not just about throwing, but about how to achieve a significant increase in the accuracy of your throws, while not radically changing their structure, that is, without retraining.

Of course, the correct throw, or, more precisely, the “classic throw from the forehead” is cool, correct and beautiful. However, it seems to me that what matters is not how you throw, but how effective these throws are. If your shot is difficult to cover and it regularly hits the basket, there is no need to change anything drastically: look at the throwing technique Larry Bird , Michael Jordan , "Magic" Johnson and Ray Allen . They all shot differently, which did not stop them from scoring well; so - draw your own conclusions.

The tips you read below are recommendations from Jay Wolf - Shot Improvement Specialist, Summer Sports Camp Organizer, Owner of StarShooter , you can read more about him on his website - starshooter.net . Well, now, in fact, advice, divided into 2 parts: how to improve throws from close range; how to improve mid-range and long-range shots (3-point shots).

Improving close range and under hoop shots

• All short range shots both to the right and left of the basket must be taken with a bounce off the backboard and a point of aim.

In principle, nothing new, this is where all throw training begins in every sports school: they learn to throw from the backboard, while the ball must touch the upper corner of the “square” drawn above the ring. The ball should softly touch this corner (remember about reverse spin of the ball when thrown) and bounce into the basket. In order to focus the thrower's attention on the aiming point, you can stick a dollar sign or a picture of the sight there. Remember: the shield is your best ally, be sure to learn how to bounce off it.

• Practice clean throws from under the hoop and clean throws off the backboard from the second tendrils.

So, let's figure it out. A clean throw is a shot where the ball drops into the basket without touching the ring itself. To achieve such a throw, you need to throw very softly, with reverse rotation, finishing with a brush. Such throws require the maximum concentration of attention from the basketball player and a change in the trajectory. So, we make 5 throws from under the ring in a row, 3 of which must be clean. If it's very easy, then add the number of throws up to 10, trying to get everything clean. Throws can be made with a rebound from the backboard, but the ball must not touch the ring hoop itself. Challenge yourself - and pass this test with honor!

Improvements to medium and long range shots

• Again perform clean throws : 5 shots in a row from one spot.

By the way, for me, clean throws are a big problem: the peculiarity of my throw is that I kind of load the far bow, “striking” which, the ball falls down. But here's the problem - if the ring is a little higher than usual, then almost all the balls go into the near bow, and while I get used to it, I smear a lot.

This job allows develop stable throw accuracy . Five throws in a row help improve accuracy, because the shape of the throw, the effort applied, the trajectory - all this must be the same and repeat all the time. Clean shots make the trajectory “lift up”, which is also good: they are more difficult to cover and, as a rule, when the ball touches the ring, the ball will fall into the basket. And one more thing: a high trajectory gives rise to a short rebound, for which it will be easier for partners to compete.

• Perform multiple free throws in a row before leaving the court (practice).

Such a move will allow you to repeat all the elements of the throw again and develop self-confidence. After the shot, you pick up the ball yourself, return to the free-throw line - and shoot again. It is important to repeat all the routine that occurs before the free throws in the game. In order to recreate the game situation even more realistically, simply add jerks to the exercise: throw the ball, perform a jerk after the ball (to the middle of the hall, etc.), return to the line again - throw it. Players can be stimulated by some kind of competitive effect: who spends more time on 5 (7, 10) executed free throws in a row - runs, pushes up, carries a partner to the locker room, etc.

• Shoot 200 free throws daily for 5 days, or 500 on the first day and 200 on the next 4 days. Goal: 25/25 rolls, of which 15 will be clean.

Here you need to understand that you will need at least 1 partner who will “bring the cores”. In America, of course, this is not a problem, there are personnel who receive money for this kind of service. But with us it will be more difficult, we will have to look for like-minded people. According to Jay Wolf, such a series of shots will help to hone the form of the shot, the moment of release of the ball and the trajectory; and also - they will increase the accuracy of 3-point shots. Again, according to Wolf, 100 throws will take 15 minutes.

I once tried to throw such a series of free kicks. My execution technique is as follows: I squat a little, then straighten my legs and straighten my body at the same time I straighten my arms. As soon as the body is fully unbent (I also stand on my toes), the ball is released. It turns out - as if one movement. So, the calves quickly began to hurt from such lifts, the hands got tired, and the hand refused to twist the ball. But some results did appear, so the exercise is useful, even very useful.

• Find out where you shoot from most often in games – and practice your “signature points” by shooting at least 5 clean shots in a row from these points.

I already wrote about this in an article about how to develop a shot ( Shot training in basketball ), it turned out not quite the way I imagined it in my head, but still it is very informative and useful.

• Practice throwing on correctly marked area , in a correctly labeled shield. The court must have a correctly drawn 3-point line.

And again I will complain a little: why in our country do people who have no idea how it should be do everything? Why are basketball markings applied by people who have never played basketball and do not know what the front line is? As a result, it passes under the front bow of the ring. And the “three-ruble note” - why is it 6 meters on the right, and more than 7 meters on the left? Why?

So - try to choose good sites with correct markings. And another note: at first it is very difficult to throw with a rebound from the backboard, if the backboard is streetball, i.e. much less than standard.

• Hold hands after throwing , as if following the ball into the basket until it reaches there.

Here it should be noted that in his video about the throw, the legendary Pete Maravich (lessons from which will soon appear on the site) recommends not to hold a fixed hand, but rather to wave 2-3 times after the ball , repeating the final stage brush work.

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