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WANT: vertical jump incr.

Silverback said:
Try jumping of the ground using your calves, your feet will not leave the ground.

Train your calves if you want I couldn't give a fat rats klacker really.

But you are misguided if you think by building your calve muscle will improve your goal or whatever it is.
Posted via Mobile Device
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First thing obviously squats, deads powercleans and jumps are the bulk of the excercises to improve you jump and do these before worrying about anything else.

But of course calves have an effect on VJ height. They are part of the chain from legs to the ground. I can stand and jump using only my calves and easily leave the ground. Sure they are not the priority but strong calves with give an increase to VJ numbers.

Also ive played local footy in the Ruck were you jump for the ball 40+ times a game. The start of the season my calves always start cramping due to all the jumping. Try jumping with a stuffed calf, you wont get very high.

In saying all this you can easily have a very good VJ without ever training calves. But to say they have nothing to do with jumping is just wrong.
 
Last edited:
grandmasterb said:
Sorry if its already been posted but shaunton what sport is that your playing/training for???

I used to play Basketball and then moved to volleyball, Im 190cm and had a contact point (the height I hit from after extending my arm straight above my head) over 360cm+

You do the math and its a 135cm vertical and my calves were non existent. I was lucky that I already had a fairly large vertical but after training (squatting, power cleans, plyometric's etc) my vertical improved almost 40cm over 5 years.
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That's a 53inch vertical leap.... High even by NBA standards. Are you taking into account the extra height you get from raising your arm?
 
Bazza20 said:
First thing obviously squats, deads powercleans and jumps are the bulk of the excercises to improve you jump and do these before worrying about anything else.

But of course calves have an effect on VJ height. They are part of the chain from legs to the ground. I can stand and jump using only my calves and easily leave the ground. Sure they are not the priority but strong calves with give an increase to VJ numbers.

Also ive played local footy in the Ruck were you jump for the ball 40+ times a game. The start of the season my calves always start cramping due to all the jumping. Try jumping with a stuffed calf, you wont get very high.

In saying all this you can easily have a very good VJ without ever training calves. But to say they have nothing to do with jumping is just wrong.
Click to expand...

Well hopefully whoever reads this topic might understand that just building your calves will not make a difference.

Then we've done our job.

And that you are also correct.
 
DeFranco's Training - Ask Joe 07.25.03

Q: What are the best exercises for increasing calf strength and size? I do a lot of standing and seated calf raises, but I was wondering if there is anything else I’m missing? I’m about 2” away from dunking a basketball and I’m looking for an edge. Any advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated.
John​
A: Big calves have about as much to do with how high you can jump as the color of your hair. Sure, there’s nothing wrong with doing some calf raises in your training routine, but they shouldn’t be the focus of the routine. As I’ve said time and time again, the “posterior chain” (spinal erectors, gluteals and hamstrings) makes up around 70% of the musculature that is responsible for your jumping ability. Squat and deadlift variations, Olympic lifts and good mornings will give you the best “bang for your buck” with regards to improving your vertical jump in the weight room.
There is another very interesting factor that plays a large role in how high you can jump. I’ve had the pleasure of working with over 2-dozen athletes who can jump over 35” and, besides being very strong in the posterior chain, they had something else in common. The one thing they all had in common are what I call “high cut” calves. What I mean by this is that the calves have an insertion point very high on the lower leg. This usually means a longer Achilles tendon. A longer Achilles tendon can store more elastic energy, which translates into more explosive jumps.
Think about this; have you ever seen a kangaroo with big calves? Of course not! The reason they can jump so well lies in the length of their Achilles tendons. Kangaroos have the longest Achilles tendon of any animal on earth. They also spring off the ground better than any other animal on earth. Unfortunately, you can’t increase the length of your Achilles tendon – it’s genetic. You have your parents to thank for that.
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My younger son Jesse is 16 and 171cm

He started lifting a few months ago, he deadlifts 170kg and squats 130kg for reps at 64kg. He also cleans 80kg

On Sunday he jumped and hung off the 10' ring
 
When I played basketball I could hang off the hoop as well, and I was 5ft 6. I'd never been near weights though so I wouldn't have been able to hold a candle to him there. But rep coaches in qld were impressed. I think it works out at about a 36inch vertical leap (pretty good for a white bloke).

But a 53 inch vertical is out of this world-

NBA Players: Vertical Leap: :

NBA Players
Vince Carter 43"
Karl Malone 28"
Shaq 32"
Kobe Bryant 38
Steve Francis 43"
Antonio McDyess 42" - -
Allen Iverson 41" - -
Shawn Kemp 40" (Seattle) - -
Rex Chapmann 39" - -
Desmond Mason 38" - -
Shaquille Oneal 32" - -
Lamar Odom 32" - -
Paul Pierce 38"
Shawn Marion 41"
Carmelo Anthony 41"
Ricky Davis 42"
Tracy McGrady 42"
Nate Robinson 43"
Jason Richardson 46"
James White 46"
Harold Miner 44"
Steve Francis 43"
LeBron James 44"
Fred Jones 42"

Legends:
Michael Jordan 48"
Dominique Wilkins 42"
Larry Bird 28"
Dr. J 41"
Spudd Webb 46"
Daryl Dawkins 34"
Dee Brown 44" - -
Harold Miner 44" - -
Julius Erving 43" - -
Larry Nance 40" - -
Ralph Sampson 36" - -
Karl Malone 28"
Magic Johnson 30" - -
Shawn Kemp 40"

Non NBA
Kadour Ziani (5'10)
Highest Vertical Leaper from Slamnation 60"
World Record Vertical Leap

Michael Wilson (Globetrotters) 51" - - I remember this dude in college.. I think he played at Memphis.
Reggie Thompson (Jumpsoles) 56" - -
Ronnie Fields (CBA) 48" - -
Melvin Levett 45" - -
l Pierce Henry Beckering 45"

NFL
Randy Moss 51" (53" running)
Jevon Kearse 265 lbs 40"
 
Vinsanity in his prime had heaps of hang time...

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMrPjl-927Q]YouTube - Vince Carter Dunk over Weis (best copy)[/ame]

In other news, i can regularly touch ring now. 173cm tall here :D
 
vegas said:
That's a 53inch vertical leap.... High even by NBA standards. Are you taking into account the extra height you get from raising your arm?
Click to expand...

Sorry for the extremely late reply vegas, lack of internet and been busy with other commitments.

Yes that's taking into consideration raising my arm and was measured at the peak of my playing career.

In 2001 @ National Schools Cup it was measured by the Australian Men's assistant coach Mark Lebedew and the Australian Woman's coach Mark Barnard in the vertical jump competition that they were running using a vertec stand.

The vertec only went to 94cms which I cleared with ease and they wanted to see how high I could actually jump (to get my contact height) so raised it up. In front of them, Ben Loft (then current member of the Australian men's team) and 100 odd people I managed a vertical of 124cms (off a 2 foot take away from 3 steps)

2 years hard training and just before the 2003 Australian Nationals in Brisbane I measured it again with my team and coach who indicated to me it was 135cms.

I haven't trained or played for 5 years but I reckon with 3 - 6months training I could get my vertical back up around the 100cm mark on the vertec and probably 80ish standing vertical.
 
vegas said:
Maybe white men CAN jump...
Click to expand...

My basketball team decided not to play this season, which sucked! but I did keep going at vertical for a while... and eventually rolling my ankle at netball... talk about worst sport for joint injuries!

Be nice if people kept posting any thoughts or videos/stats... good to check out the facts. When I am recovered from ankle... DL's, squats and powercleans I think is the consensus of what I should do. And maybe even good mornings... If I think its worth incorporating. Probs wont do plyo unless I reach good joint flexibility again, was a shame because in a couple weeks I was getting 5cm higher or so after 2x plyo sessions a week.

So yeah... Thanks to everyone for all their comments, good especially is from different background ie volleyball/basketball and even footy.
 
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