I got a standing reach of 7 foot 6 at 5 foot 9.

and have touched regulation a couple times before meaning my absolute max vertical atm is 28 inches. I was reading through the VJB and i did the test where you compare your vertical to your reactive jump from a 12 inch platform. ATM my vertical is about 4 inches higher.

So do you think i should start doing some pylometrics without weights because i feel i have a good enough base in terms of leg strength as i have kept a lot of my gains from weightlifting a few months back, which is backed up by the fact my pure explosiveness outweights my reactive jumping ability.

Considering the guy who wrote VJB started with a 23 inch vertical and ended up with 41, can i expect to see anything near a 40 inch vertical down the road?

Don't expect to get a certain gain. You'll get exactly what you put into it. Everyone's body is different so one guy might get +20 inches while another only gets +4. Just work hard and the results will come.

You have to weightlift in addition to plyos to get the best results. You can scale his workouts (which aren't very high in volume anyway) back a little bit... but always do the recommended for the main power lifts (which is the first lift he has listed for that phase... squats, deadlifts, etc.) Unless you squat 2.5-3 tiimes your body weight already, then you still have work to do in the gym. If you could squat that much tho... you'd probably already be dunking.

Yea don't go into it expecting anything. Just do the work and the results will come and the excitement will build. Then you will flatten out... then slowly gain more and more. Do the Plyo workouts on grass... you want to protect your knees. Remember, your body wasn't designed to do this kind of stuff... so always pay attention to how to feel. If you feel something is off, take a break until you feel better. I can guarantee that if you put in the work you will see results.

[QUOTE=Swaggin916]You have to weightlift in addition to plyos to get the best results. You can scale his workouts (which aren't very high in volume anyway) back a little bit... but always do the recommended for the main power lifts (which is the first lift he has listed for that phase... squats, deadlifts, etc.) Unless you squat 2.5-3 tiimes your body weight already, then you still have work to do in the gym. If you could squat that much tho... you'd probably already be dunking.

Yea don't go into it expecting anything. Just do the work and the results will come and the excitement will build. Then you will flatten out... then slowly gain more and more. Do the Plyo workouts on grass... you want to protect your knees. Remember, your body wasn't designed to do this kind of stuff... so always pay attention to how to feel. If you feel something is off, take a break until you feel better. I can guarantee that if you put in the work you will see results.[/QUOTE]


yeah i think ill do the intermediate balanced program, i read over his jumping technique section and that has already helped a lot before i would just throw my whole weight and muscle into the jump instead of using my momentum and reactive reflex to get me up

you have same reach as me! i measured myself last week:

bare feet height: 5'11" (180cm)
bare feet reach: 90.5" or 7'6.5" (231cm)
wing span: 6" (183cm)

right now i can touch the rim again. so we have about the same vertical i guess.

i'm only 5 foot 7 and i only have 6'11" reach :eek:

[QUOTE=ghettoracer]you have same reach as me! i measured myself last week:

bare feet height: 5'11" (180cm)
bare feet reach: 90.5" or 7'6.5" (231cm)
wing span: 6" (183cm)

right now i can touch the rim again. so we have about the same vertical i guess.[/QUOTE]

yea i did measure mine kind of roughly but its anywhere between 7 foot 4 and 6 so you probably have me beat by a fraction

yah, mine was done finger tip to finger tip. so we pretty much have the same reach. how big is your hand? can you palm the ball? a guy i ball with he's from Gambia. he's an inch shorter than me but he has a good 3" reach on me. his hands are like 2" larger than mine and basically full 2 size bigger.

i can barely palm the ball. it has to be a really grippy leather ball for me to barely hold it.

[QUOTE=ghettoracer]you have same reach as me! i measured myself last week:

bare feet height: 5'11" (180cm)
bare feet reach: 90.5" or 7'6.5" (231cm)
wing span: 6" (183cm)

right now i can touch the rim again. so we have about the same vertical i guess.[/QUOTE]

See I only have a wingspan of 5'9 1/2, but my reach is a half inch higher than yours at 7'7. I am the same height too... My shoulders must be high set or something. My friend has a wingspan 4 1/2 inches more than mine, but my reach is only 3 inches less than his (he is 6'2). So... I guess I'm unlucky when it comes to wingspan, but fortunately my reach isn't really effected by it :D

And yea Aussieguy... intermediate reactive would be the best program for you.

[QUOTE=DPittman]i'm only 5 foot 7 and i only have 6'11" reach :eek:[/QUOTE]

Exactly the same as me. I hate having short arms.

[QUOTE=Swaggin916]See I only have a wingspan of 5'9 1/2, but my reach is a half inch higher than yours at 7'7. I am the same height too... My shoulders must be high set or something. My friend has a wingspan 4 1/2 inches more than mine, but my reach is only 3 inches less than his (he is 6'2). So... I guess I'm unlucky when it comes to wingspan, but fortunately my reach isn't really effected by it :D

And yea Aussieguy... intermediate reactive would be the best program for you.[/QUOTE]

You do realise that wingspan measures both arms, while standing reach is only 1? So really, if he has 4 and a half inches wingspan on you, he should only have half that much in extra reach (Which would be just over 2 inches). I'd say your reach is affected too, mate =P

Anyway, I'm 6"1, about 150 pounds (range between 65-67kg) and have just been doing my own routine recently. I have light ankle weights which I wear the entire time, and do squat hops/tuck jumps/depth jumps, and with dumbells as well I also do squats, lunges and calf raises. With a casual timetable, in several months I have gone from narrowly missing the backboard to grabbing the ring. I hope to have dunked at least once by the end of the year.
Edit: Standing reach is about 7"9 in shoes

[QUOTE=Grafbag]You do realise that wingspan measures both arms, while standing reach is only 1? So really, if he has 4 and a half inches wingspan on you, he should only have half that much in extra reach (Which would be just over 2 inches). I'd say your reach is affected too, mate =P

Anyway, I'm 6"1, about 150 pounds (range between 65-67kg) and have just been doing my own routine recently. I have light ankle weights which I wear the entire time, and do squat hops/tuck jumps/depth jumps, and with dumbells as well I also do squats, lunges and calf raises. With a casual timetable, in several months I have gone from narrowly missing the backboard to grabbing the ring. I hope to have dunked at least once by the end of the year.
Edit: Standing reach is about 7"9 in shoes[/QUOTE]

Nah man your logic is flawed. You make it seem like our shoulders should be the exact the same height, but his sit higher because he is taller. He is 3 inches taller than me, so if he has the exact same body type, his reach would would 3 inches higher. Well, his reach is 3 inches taller, but his arms are also longer than mine in accordance to his body. His wingspan is exactly his height... mine is shorter than my height by about an inch. So...either his reach should be higher, or mine should be lower... but we don't have the same body type. My shoulders must sit a little higher than average to make up for my lack of wingspan... or his sit a lower than average.

[QUOTE=Swaggin916]Nah man your logic is flawed. You make it seem like our shoulders should be the exact the same height, but his sit higher because he is taller. He is 3 inches taller than me, so if he has the exact same body type, his reach would would 3 inches higher. Well, his reach is 3 inches taller, but his arms are also longer than mine in accordance to his body. His wingspan is exactly his height... mine is shorter than my height by about an inch. So...either his reach should be higher, or mine should be lower... but we don't have the same body type. My shoulders must sit a little higher than average to make up for my lack of wingspan... or his sit a lower than average.[/QUOTE]

Ah ok, was a bit confused because before I didn't know that your friends wingspan was equal to his height and yours was even smaller. That is weird, maybe your shoulders really are set a bit higher. Good stuff at least that you have the reach. As I said, I'm 6"1 with a reach of about 7"9-10 anyway, so I guess it's similar story when comparing our reach. I've measured my wingspan as well, and that's actually above 6"2, more than an inch bigger than I am.

Yea it seems like 7'10 is about average for white guys who are 6'2. My other friend is 6'1 and his reach is about 7'9... and then of course I'm 5'11 with a 7'7... so it's just an inch per inch of height for us. I just can't believe that some guys wingspans are so much higher and their reaches as well... long arms, wide bodies, broad shoulders... So many features effect wingspan and reach. IT's just crazy. With a lot of us white guys, especially those of us who are ancestors of people from colder climates (England, Ireland/Scottland, Norway, etc.), are bodies are more shriveled up from the cold :lol

But yea either my shoulders are set a bit higher, I can stretch more, or maybe something else that I'm not thinking of.

Yeah, I guess I have an average reach, even though I have a wider wingspan. Don't know if my Macedonian heritage has anything to do with it though =P.

Anyway, how high can you jump? Because remember, it's not all about reach if you can still get up there.

I don't know how high i can jump right now and I'm not about to find out anytime soon :lol

I havn't been following the program much at all but i have taken a lot out of reading VJB. Before reading the VJB i really had no idea how to jump, i would usually try and lead with one leg which the VJB tells you not to do.

So over the last few weeks i have been perfecting my 2 footed power jump. I now have the strength to get down really low and maintain balance as i follow through with a little hop step. I used to just push straight away now i can wait and consciously bend my knees ever so slightly in an attempt to absorb contact. I now understand how our legs can act like rubberbands.

I feel the absorption and just as i am about to leave the ground from reactive reflex i push through the floor. I still need a fair bit of strength so i will need to do some squatting, however i finally am able to comprehend how to jump and i am now getting just below rim level consistantly when before i would have days where i couldn't even touch the backboard.

And all this has been just a result of reading the VJB, and picturing what i have do in my mind, and putting that into practice random times during the day. I feel i have recruited what fibres i have available and i am confident i will be at rim level in about a month.

feels good man

although i have not weight trained as much as i wanted to (remember the re-occurring stiff back) i have gained about 2" over since i started hitting the weight racks more steadily. now from standing jump i can just barely touch the bottom of a 10 feet rim with my middle finger and my running 2 feet is about 2" over the rim now. :-) still down from my peak 10 years go which was ~5" over the rim. but at least i'm happy to report a slight gain/recovery in vertical.

So i havnt been doing any weight work still but i have just been doing my two footed jump every day and i have definately increased my vertical by at least 3 inches already so i can only imagine what that would mean if i were to start weights again.

I should also note that last year when i did weights for a good 4 months i was able to touch rim on a hoop that i know is higher than regulation i don't know how i forgot about this but when i look back on it i regret stopping weights because i would still have all that strength i would be hitting regulation every attempt.

Well anyway i havn't got any regulation hoops around my area to compare my jump on now but there is a hoop i think its about 9 foot 7 inches near my house. I can grab onto the rim of that now easily when it used to be difficult just to touch it. I feel really really excited about my progress i cant wait to hit the weights again.

Yea man just get some weights in there and you will take yourself to a new level yet again.

I've been practicing a bit now, going out and doing some squats, lunges and plyos. Don't have much weight though, only a couple of light dumbells and ankle weights. Still though, every time I train and then rest, I can actually notice a big increase in my jump pretty much right after (If say, I train for 2-3 days, rest for 2-3, then actually play a match).

I can consistently get high enough over the ring to grab now off one leg (about 3-4 inches over), but I'm still a couple of inches short of even touching the ring off a 2 leg jump. Would you guys know anything about that? Could my technique make that big of a difference, or would it only be a small factor?

[QUOTE=Grafbag]I've been practicing a bit now, going out and doing some squats, lunges and plyos. Don't have much weight though, only a couple of light dumbells and ankle weights. Still though, every time I train and then rest, I can actually notice a big increase in my jump pretty much right after (If say, I train for 2-3 days, rest for 2-3, then actually play a match).

I can consistently get high enough over the ring to grab now off one leg (about 3-4 inches over), but I'm still a couple of inches short of even touching the ring off a 2 leg jump. Would you guys know anything about that? Could my technique make that big of a difference, or would it only be a small factor?[/QUOTE]

It's because your legs aren't strong enough. Remember, 2 leg jump is based off leg strength, and 1 leg jump is based more off elasticity/reactivity.

[QUOTE=Swaggin916]It's because your legs aren't strong enough. Remember, 2 leg jump is based off leg strength, and 1 leg jump is based more off elasticity/reactivity.[/QUOTE]

I'm def a 2 leg jumper .. cause i don't "know" how to jump with one leg.

My reach was 7 foot 11 inches (I'm six foot four) in high school, but my highest vert was only 24 or so inches, so I could never quite dunk. It's probably only 18 or so now.

wooot can touch regulation off 2 feet at will now any day now i will be able to grab it.

So that would make my vertical atm about 30 inches. Now i just got to hit dem weights and see how far i can take this thing.