Author Topic: Why improving your Vertical Jump Doesn’t improve your Dunk (Elitetrack Article)  (Read 10785 times)

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undoubtable

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This is a nice excerpt I pulled out from the main article. Found here:

http://elitetrack.com/improving-vertical-jump-doesnt-improve-dunk/


"I have explained already, one size and way doesn’t fit all. I can tell you that an ideal program would contain this: Jump Circuits, in place single and double leg plyos, plyos with movement i.e. hurdle hops, alternating bounds, power skips(a mix of single and double leg work), actual time spent trying to dunk or attempting to run and jump up to something, sprint training which would include acceleration and eventually even some top speed work, medball throws to develop explosive power and triple extension, weight room work which would include Olympic lifts(if appropriate), squat jumps and other power type exercises, true strength work such as squat, deadlift and various types of lunges, some core work both in the form of circuits and also in the weight room with more of a strength emphasis, mobility work including static and dynamic stretches, also possible general coordination work in the form of sprint drills or hurdle drills in order to improve body awareness and coordination. " (Eric Broadbent)
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TKXII

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pretty long rant of an article. He seems to be criticizing most vertical jump programs, rather than the concerted effort to improve a vertical leap. He also defines the vertical leap as a standing vertical leap.

Let's not overcomplicate things. If you want to dunk, train to jump higher, once you're there, practice the skills necessary to make dunks look beautiful. If you improve your running vertical jump off of one leg, or two legs, you will be more likely to throw down a powerful dunk.

I do agree though that standing vertical jump training may not be necessary to improve your ability to dunk off of two feet in a game, and the two aren't always related. Many times they're not.

"Performance during stretch-shortening cycle exercise is influenced by the visco-elastic properties of the muscle-tendon units. During stretching of an activated muscle, mechanical energy is absorbed in the tendon structures (tendon and aponeurosis) and this energy can subsequently be re-utilized if shortening of the muscle immediately follows the stretching. According to Biscotti (2000), 72% of the elastic energy restitution action comes from tendons, 28% - from contractile elements of muscles.

http://www.verkhoshansky.com/Portals/0/Presentations/Shock%20Method%20Plyometrics.pdf