How to Jump Higher Like Vince Carter

Vince Carter is a professional basketball player in the NBA, who is known for outstanding vertical leaping ability. Carter is 6 feet 6 inches tall, and is known to jump higher than players several inches taller. Carter's vertical leap has been measured at 43 inches, which helped him win the 2000 NBA Slam Dunk Contest. If you are a basketball player, and you wish to improve your vertical leaping ability, you will need to perform plyometric exercises to strengthen your leg muscles.

Things You'll Need

  • Treadmill (optional)
  • Bench
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Instructions

    • 1

      Warm up your leg muscles by walking on a treadmill for five to 10 minutes. Stretch your leg muscles properly before you begin any jumping exercises.

    • 2

      Perform box jumps. Stand in front of a bench or weight bench. Jump up onto the bench, pause for a about half a second, then hop back down into the starting position. Once you land back in the starting position, immediately leap back onto the bench. Do not pause once you land back on the ground, jump as soon as your feet hit the ground. Repeat this exercise 15 times, then rest for one minute until the next set. Do three sets of 15 repetitions.

    • 3

      Stand with your knees slightly bent, and your hands at your sides, then jump straight up into the air. Once you are in the air, raise your knees up so that your thighs are parallel with the floor. Straighten your legs back out before you land. Once you hit the ground, do not pause, immediately jump back into the air and tuck your knees up again. These are called jump knee tucks. Perform 10 repetitions per set, and work your way up to 20 repetitions per set. Do three sets, with two minutes of rest between sets.

    • 4

      Practice one-legged rebound jumps. Stand up straight, and then pull one foot off of the ground so you are balancing on the other foot. Look up into the air as if you are about to jump up and get a rebound under the basketball goal. Jump up into the air on the one foot, and land only on that foot. Do this 10 times, then switch legs and perform 10 more repetitions on the other foot. Perform three sets of 10 repetitions per leg. Rest for one minute between sets. This drill will help improve jumping ability of each leg independently.