Baron Davis Dunk or How to Increase Vertical Jump

Did you see Baron Davis’ dunk over Andrei Kirilenko in the last few playoffs? What about the dunk on Jermaine O’Neil and Thielo Green at UCLA?

Everyone who has seen these dunks knows that it is impossible to forget them. But a lot of people also wonder how a guy who weighs about 220 pounds and is 6′ 3″ can jump that high. One thing is clear: you have to have very strong leg muscles to lift that weight in the air!

So, it’s all about weight training. If you’re heavier like Baron, it’s actually Olympic weightlifting.

The most important benefit of Olympic weightlifting is that it teaches the body to activate all muscle fibers at once.

Different studies have shown the effectiveness of Olympic weightlifting. For example, a group of lifters did various Olympic lifts (high pulls, power clean, and clean and pull) and were compared with a group using vertical jump exercises (single-legged and double-legged hurdle jumps, one leg, etc.). After 8 weeks of training, the Olympic weightlifting group had significantly increased their 10-meter running speed and standing jump over the control group using standard vertical jump exercises (Tricoli, 2005).

Similarly, a 15-week study was also conducted with soccer players and a weightlifting program was compared to an Olympic weightlifting program for athletic performance. After the 15-week study ended, the Olympic weightlifting group had significant improvement in the vertical jump and 40-meter sprint over the weightlifting group (Hoffman JR, 2004).

But you can’t just focus on weightlifting because as a jumper you also need to be fast. So you also need to work on your quickness. How do you train that?

Five sets of wind sprints (50 meters) three times a week is a very effective exercise.

Another excellent exercise is jumping rope. Jumping rope not only gives you explosiveness and calf strength, but it’s also a great way to build endurance and work on overall leg strength. Jump rope at least three times a week.

For more tips and details on exercises, visit the following site: