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Let’s be honest; every basketball player wants to make a dunk. That statement is even truer for short basketball players. Being a short guy myself, all I ever wanted to do is get the ball over someone. I thought it was impossible since I’m only 5’7 “and standard basketball tires are 10 feet tall. However, you see NBA players like Nate Robinson (5’9”) who have EXPLOSIVE jumping power, for which he won Slam Dunk Contest three times! So how does someone so low get so high? Let me give you 5 quick drills for short basketball players so you can develop that explosive jumping power too.

Contrary to popular belief, to increase your vertical you cannot simply exercise your legs. It’s also important to note that while strength and endurance don’t hurt, the key to jumping high is how EXPLOSIVE you are.

  • Jumping rope: This is an excellent exercise for basketball players because it increases foot speed and strengthens the calf muscles. Perform four sets of 100 (a total of 400 jumps).
  • Sprint-and-Drop: SPRINT the width of a basketball court, drop, and do ten push-ups. Remember to focus on explosiveness, one second to push up, three seconds to come back down. Perform 10 sprints (a total of 100 push-ups)
  • Box Jumps – Place a two foot tall box in front of you. With your feet shoulder-width apart, perform a full squat and EXPLODE the box, lower yourself, and repeat. Perform four sets of 25 (a total of 100 box jumps)
  • Truck Driver: This is basically a squat with the focus down instead of up. With your feet shoulder-width apart, squat down as fast as you can to a 90-degree squat. Hold for 4 seconds and go back up. Perform four sets of 20 (total of 80 truck drivers)
  • High Knee Raise Sprints: Sprint along a basketball court keeping alert and raising your knees as high as possible. Be careful not to jump across the ground. Perform four sets of 5 (a total of 20 sprints)

Doing these exercises for short basketball players will not only help you increase your jumping power, but it will also make you a better basketball player overall.

That being said, if you REALLY want to develop your jumping power, you need 5+ exercises. You need dedication, a step-by-step training program, as well as videos and tutorials on different exercises. It was with these training tools and programs that they made it possible for short basketball players like Nate Robinson and I to explode and roll over on 10-foot tires!

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