Results 1 to 7 of 7
  1. #1
    Learning to shoot layups
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Posts
    70

    Default Improving my 2-foot vertical.

    I can dunk with a 1-footed take off and have been able to do so on and off (depending on how frequently I have been playing over a stretch of time) for about 3 years. On a good day I can get in a 2-handed dunk. One thing I have noticed though is that over time, even when my 1-footed take off has been improving my 2-footed takeoff has plateaued a very long time ago (except for 1 stretch of time). Before I could even dunk off of 1 foot I have been able to grab the rim with a 2-footed takeoff, but as my 1-footed takeoff improved more and more, even to the point where I was dunking easily, my 2-footed vertical remained the same.

    Now I believe that the reason for this is because 2-footed jumping relies mostly on strength and I basically never hit the weight room, whereas the 1-footed takeoff is more influenced by my plyometric ability which improved as I kept playing basketball, a naturally plyometric sport. So I want to know, as a weight room beginner, what exercises should I do (I heard squats and dead-lifts are the best for this), and how do I ensure that I am doing these exercises with proper technique? Also, right now my standing reach is about 8'1", and on a good day I can grab rim with both my hands (and get 1 hand probably 4-5 inches over the rim, so that would put my 2-foot vertical at around 27 inches). Based on my current stats, how much time in the weight room would you guys say it would take to start dunking off of 2 feet?

    Another very odd thing is that I've actually dunked it off of 2-feet before. About a year ago I focused solely on jumping off of 2-feet while playing basketball, still without any weight training. Basically what I did was, when driving to the hole in situations where I would usually do a 1-2 step I did a gather into a 2-footed takeoff instead. Also, when there was any dead ball I would jump and grab the rim off of 2 feet as many times as I could attempt. This actually worked out to the point where I somehow caught a perfectly placed alley and threw it down. Also at my 2-footed peak I managed to get my entire right wrist over the rim. The odd thing about this is that even after I attempted to dunk immediately after getting my entire wrist over the rim I didn't even come close (I got rim stuffed).

    To me, being at least close to dunking is when you attempt to dunk it and the ball hits parts of the top or inside of the rim while you are still able to grab the rim afterwards. I haven't even been close, and I never ever came close to a dunk off of the dribble with a 2-footed takeoff, even in my prime. Then I took a break (2-3 weeks) from playing basketball and my 2-footed vertical has never been near that level again. Is the reason that I could never come close to a dunk attempt with the ball, even after getting my entire wrist over the rim because of my technique? If so, how can I improve it?

  2. #2
    Good college starter Burgz V2's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    Toronto
    Posts
    3,109

    Default Re: Improving my 2-foot vertical.

    well the best way to know for sure is if you keep the ball in your palm or cuff, can you still get over the rim? If so then yea, just keep trying youre probably not used to it.

    if not, sure, getting stronger is a way you can get a few inches but you have to be careful. Vertical jumping is about a good balance of relative strength and explosive strength. If you can dunk one foot I'd say you already half way there/probably athletic enough to accomplish this, you just need to know where to get stronger.

    the first thing to address for two foot jumping is core strength. Hanging leg raises, planks, side planks, walkouts. You then want to make sure you are getting full hip extension, that's where most of the power comes from by activating your glutes, hams, lower back, calves. So assess you flexibility. If you dont have good hip flexibility then stretch out those hip flexors daily. That way you get deeper into your gather and can generate more power.

    Now after you've done that, if you feel yourself too week, THEN you'll have to strengthen those muscles. But for you I'd say it's just a core strength and flexibility issue because you said you took a break and it wasn't the same after that.

    I did all this too rebuild my 2 foot vert from scratch cuz i also was a one-foot jumper.
    Last edited by Burgz V2; 04-27-2013 at 09:52 PM.

  3. #3
    Learning to shoot layups
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Posts
    70

    Default Re: Improving my 2-foot vertical.

    Quote Originally Posted by Burgz V2
    well the best way to know for sure is if you keep the ball in your palm or cuff, can you still get over the rim? If so then yea, just keep trying youre probably not used to it.

    if not, sure, getting stronger is a way you can get a few inches but you have to be careful. Vertical jumping is about a good balance of relative strength and explosive strength. If you can dunk one foot I'd say you already half way there/probably athletic enough to accomplish this, you just need to know where to get stronger.

    the first thing to address for two foot jumping is core strength. Hanging leg raises, planks, side planks, walkouts. You then want to make sure you are getting full hip extension, that's where most of the power comes from by activating your glutes, hams, lower back, calves. So assess you flexibility. If you dont have good hip flexibility then stretch out those hip flexors daily. That way you get deeper into your gather and can generate more power.

    Now after you've done that, if you feel yourself too week, THEN you'll have to strengthen those muscles. But for you I'd say it's just a core strength and flexibility issue because you said you took a break and it wasn't the same after that.

    I did all this too rebuild my 2 foot vert from scratch cuz i also was a one-foot jumper.
    Thanks for the help. After doing a bit of research I think I found out what was wrong with my 2-footed technique. Apparently there are 2 main techniques for jumping off of 2 feet, the 1-2 step (you dribble, then do a 1-2 first into the foot opposite of your dribbling hand then onto the other foot, then jump immediately after), and the hop step (dribble, then use the foot opposite of your dribbling hand to hop into the air, preferably covering a lot of horizontal distance and little vertical distance in order to transfer your energy properly, land on on both feet at the same time and jump immediately after). I have bad footwork, so I think when dribbling the ball I use the 1-2 step, but when going for the rim without the ball I use the second technique, which might explain the discrepancy between me jumping with and without the ball. I haven't put this theory into work yet as it's been raining today and the gym closed early, but does this sound plausible to you? Also, which technique do you use for jumping off of 2 feet while dribbling the ball, and if you have tried both, do you notice any difference in how high you get?

  4. #4
    Good college starter Burgz V2's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    Toronto
    Posts
    3,109

    Default Re: Improving my 2-foot vertical.

    Quote Originally Posted by Permodius
    Thanks for the help. After doing a bit of research I think I found out what was wrong with my 2-footed technique. Apparently there are 2 main techniques for jumping off of 2 feet, the 1-2 step (you dribble, then do a 1-2 first into the foot opposite of your dribbling hand then onto the other foot, then jump immediately after), and the hop step (dribble, then use the foot opposite of your dribbling hand to hop into the air, preferably covering a lot of horizontal distance and little vertical distance in order to transfer your energy properly, land on on both feet at the same time and jump immediately after). I have bad footwork, so I think when dribbling the ball I use the 1-2 step, but when going for the rim without the ball I use the second technique, which might explain the discrepancy between me jumping with and without the ball. I haven't put this theory into work yet as it's been raining today and the gym closed early, but does this sound plausible to you? Also, which technique do you use for jumping off of 2 feet while dribbling the ball, and if you have tried both, do you notice any difference in how high you get?
    it depends what feels more natural for you. It is more practical to take 2 steps rather than the hop steps imo, but some people jump higher with the hop step.

    If it's footwork that is your problem then have a practice where you do different variations a set number of times. So you can drive and then take off (in order of what foot plants) right-left 10 times, then do left-right 10 times and then doing a hop step 10 times or whatever many times you want to do each. The point is to condition your muscles to do it properly its all about building the muscle memory.

    The reason you have better footwork jumping one foot is because youre so used to it that it's instinctive. That's because you've developed the muscle memory for it over time.

    In my personal opinion I don't think you should commit to one way, different situations call for different movements.

  5. #5
    Serious playground baller
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Posts
    488

    Default Re: Improving my 2-foot vertical.

    When I was in high school I was a 1 foot jumper. I could get a good bit higher off one than two. When I was in college I stopped playing and started lifting and doing all those squats turned me into a two foot jumper.

  6. #6
    NBA Superstar
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Posts
    13,754

    Default Re: Improving my 2-foot vertical.

    Quote Originally Posted by Permodius
    Thanks for the help. After doing a bit of research I think I found out what was wrong with my 2-footed technique. Apparently there are 2 main techniques for jumping off of 2 feet, the 1-2 step (you dribble, then do a 1-2 first into the foot opposite of your dribbling hand then onto the other foot, then jump immediately after), and the hop step (dribble, then use the foot opposite of your dribbling hand to hop into the air, preferably covering a lot of horizontal distance and little vertical distance in order to transfer your energy properly, land on on both feet at the same time and jump immediately after). I have bad footwork, so I think when dribbling the ball I use the 1-2 step, but when going for the rim without the ball I use the second technique, which might explain the discrepancy between me jumping with and without the ball. I haven't put this theory into work yet as it's been raining today and the gym closed early, but does this sound plausible to you? Also, which technique do you use for jumping off of 2 feet while dribbling the ball, and if you have tried both, do you notice any difference in how high you get?
    I'm a 1-2 step two foot jumper. Just as you said, I plant my left foot then lead with my right and explode. Terrence Ross and Desmond Mason both jump in this fashion. A lot of two-foot leapers actually go the opposite, planting their right foot first and leading with their left, making their body crook sideways in mid-air (like Vince Carter). Then, as you mentioned, there's the hop step leapers, like Michael Finley. As Burgz mentioned, they all make their own styles work, it just seems to be a matter of repetition and comfort.

    Mason, right foot forward example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZWaEBMFVRw#t=0m15s

    Carter, left foot forward example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Bra0iEoq70

    Finley, hop step example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euBQ7cwpHL8

    My trick for my right foot forward explosion off the dribble is to remind myself to stay low and to lead my last dribble in front of my body a little bit (which you can see Mason do in his example). Oftentimes my issue with two foot explosion with a ball vs. without is the fact that the live dribble keeps my body a little too upright at times, especially if my dribble doesn't happen to be incredibly low. As such, placing that last dribble low and in front of me gives me a split second to properly build up my spring and explode.

    Through all of this, the good news is if I had to pick between being a one-foot dunker or two-foot dunker, I'd take the one foot, which seems to be your preference as well. I switched over to being strictly a two-foot dunk my senior year in high school and as someone of guard size (6'4'') my only dunk opportunities were fast breaks and needing to plant both feet usually led to slipping, bad plants, or being fouled from behind.

    When I switched back to being a primary one-foot guy, dunk opportunities abounded. It's much better to be able to attack and elevate immediately as opposed to worrying about setting one's feet. I still have two-foot dunking in my back pocket and still jump off two very frequently depending on the situation, it's just not my primary means of dunking anymore.

  7. #7
    Learning to shoot layups
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Posts
    70

    Default Re: Improving my 2-foot vertical.

    Quote Originally Posted by Rake2204
    I'm a 1-2 step two foot jumper. Just as you said, I plant my left foot then lead with my right and explode. Terrence Ross and Desmond Mason both jump in this fashion. A lot of two-foot leapers actually go the opposite, planting their right foot first and leading with their left, making their body crook sideways in mid-air (like Vince Carter). Then, as you mentioned, there's the hop step leapers, like Michael Finley. As Burgz mentioned, they all make their own styles work, it just seems to be a matter of repetition and comfort.

    Mason, right foot forward example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZWaEBMFVRw#t=0m15s

    Carter, left foot forward example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Bra0iEoq70

    Finley, hop step example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euBQ7cwpHL8

    My trick for my right foot forward explosion off the dribble is to remind myself to stay low and to lead my last dribble in front of my body a little bit (which you can see Mason do in his example). Oftentimes my issue with two foot explosion with a ball vs. without is the fact that the live dribble keeps my body a little too upright at times, especially if my dribble doesn't happen to be incredibly low. As such, placing that last dribble low and in front of me gives me a split second to properly build up my spring and explode.

    Through all of this, the good news is if I had to pick between being a one-foot dunker or two-foot dunker, I'd take the one foot, which seems to be your preference as well. I switched over to being strictly a two-foot dunk my senior year in high school and as someone of guard size (6'4'') my only dunk opportunities were fast breaks and needing to plant both feet usually led to slipping, bad plants, or being fouled from behind.

    When I switched back to being a primary one-foot guy, dunk opportunities abounded. It's much better to be able to attack and elevate immediately as opposed to worrying about setting one's feet. I still have two-foot dunking in my back pocket and still jump off two very frequently depending on the situation, it's just not my primary means of dunking anymore.
    Alright, thanks a lot for the very informative post. So I guess there isn't really an optimal technique and it's all down to preference. That makes perfect sense because I was practicing the other techniques today two but it felt so uncomfortable and I wasn't getting any higher. After playing a few games and going back to my most comfortable 2-foot technique, which is the 1-2 step, I actually got rim on the dunk attempt so that was pretty cool. I guess this means that in order to make up the deficit in vertical I will just have to keep jumping and hit the weight room.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •