Basketball Plyometrics, Resisted Jumping

1. Partner Resisted Jumps: 3 sets, 5-15 reps. Put the hands on the shoulders of the jumper to add a bit of resistance and increase difficulty of the drill.
2. Harness Jumps: 3 sets, 5-15 reps. Resistance on the up, overload on the down of the jump.
3. Weighted Jumps: 3 sets, 5 reps with weight, 5 without. Don’t throw a lot of weight, just a bit to increase the difficulty slightly. It is important to alternate jumps with the vest 5 times, then without it 5 times.

Basketball Plyometrics, Advanced Jumping and Quickness with Hurdles

1. Repeat Hurdles: 1-3 sets, 3-5 reps, 5-10 hurdles. Start with 5 hurdles, stretch out to 10 as ability increases. Keep body under control at all times.
2. Jump to Sprint: 3 sets, 5 reps, 1-3 hurdles. Repeat jump over 2-3 hurdles, then explode into a sprint.

Basketball Plyometrics, Power Jumps

All the power jump drills are done from an 24" box. In Drop & Quicks drill two boxes are used, dropping is from 24" to a smaller, 6" – 12", box.

1. Excentrics: 3 sets, 5-10 reps. Helps develop structural integrity at the joints and muscles.
2. Concentrics: 3 sets, 5-10 reps. Aggressive action assisting the legs with arms.
3. Down Ups: 3 sets, 5-10 reps.
4. Repeats: 3 sets, 10 reps.
5. Drop & Explode: 3 sets, 5-10 reps.
6. Drop & Quicks: 3 sets, 5-10 reps. Don’t jump from the big box, the emphasis is on dropping and quickly hopping onto smaller box.
7. Quick to Explode: 3 sets, 5-10 reps. Emphasis is on control of the body.
8. Repeats: 3 sets, 10 reps, 3 boxes of the same height.

Basketball Plyometrics, Free Jumps and Hops

1. Tuck Jumps: 3 sets, 10 reps. List center of gravity with good body control. Use both arms and legs for a good explosive take off.
2. Frog Jumps: 3 sets, 5-10 reps, 15 yards. Reach with the heels for added distance.
3. Hitch Hops: 3 sets, 10 reps, 15 yards. Cycle both the leg and the arm to overload the body.
4. Bounding: 3 sets, 10-20 reps.
5. Jump and Touch: 3 sets, 10 reps. The demonstrator uses a vertical device, but basketball players should use the basketball hoop as target. If the hoop is too high, or the player is too young, either the back board or the net can be used as targets. Always try to reach the maximum elevation on each jump.
6. Hitch Hops, with RR/LL Alternation: 3 sets, 5 reps. This is a difficult drill, it challenges balance and agility as well as explosiveness.
7. Split Jumps: 1-3 sets, 10 reps. This is to be done two days a week, with two days rest in-between.
8. Split Cycle Jumps: 1-3 sets, 10 reps. The same as split jumps but simulates running motion.

Another example of Free Jumps and Hops for Speed

1. Tuck Jumps: Pull knees up towards the chest, great for power jumps
2. Hitch Hops: Pull the knee up a bit, good for balance and power.
3. Bounding: knee up, heel up, toe up. Explosiveness and rhythm are important, great for first step explosiveness.

Michael Jordan on Jumping High

Michael makes an interesting point: one of the best leapers of all time didn’t really have an approach, or a set of drills, to improve his jumping. He says: “You just jump a lot, jump high.” He himself is not sure what the best best is way to maximize your jumping potential?