In case you didn’t know, the 5’10” skinny guy from the And1 streetball team named The Professor, who is well known for his excellent ball handling, can actually dunk! And sure, he’s white! !
Like many top ballplayers, Grayson Boucher, aka The Professor, has a set workout that he sticks to.
“Every day I’m in the gym for a minimum of 2 hours. Lately I wake up at 5am every day to finish my basketball workouts early in the morning. Then I run 2 miles and lift weights for about an hour. So do I , everything you put in to work on your game is what you get out of it. It’s all about your investment of time and dedication. When I go to the gym, it’s never going to be a good workout. You can’t just go to the gym and throw casually and I hope to get better. I pick up at least 500 every time I’m there and push myself with full court dribbling drills, then finish practice with some free throws. When I run 2 miles I try to keep a hard pace all the time. Right now I run 2 miles at 13:30 which is hard to do every morning but when you start to see the results you start to like it and you go stronger I used to lift weights and I would get heavy at one point and I discovered that speed is more important to me than bulk weight. This year I’m concentrating on working my legs harder than ever before, because my goal for next season is to slam dunks on a regular basis.” – The Professor
In case you’re wondering which exercises will strengthen your legs, here are a couple:
jump the rope:
Almost every NBA player uses this “old fashioned” drill. Jumping rope is a great way to build endurance and build leg strength. In addition, it develops jumping ability (explosiveness, calf strength, etc.).
Squats and wall squats:
These exercises will help you strengthen your legs, which is a key component of athletic fitness and therefore jumping ability. Remember to only use a weight that is comfortable for you and always have a coach or training partner working with you.
But remember that the vertical jump is part leg strength and part explosiveness. And the explosiveness part is the more important of the two. Just like the teacher said, it’s not about the size of your leg muscles or how much weight you can handle in the gym. It’s about your athletic ability, coordination, and your ability to explode off the ground.
If you really want to improve your vertical and are looking for specific exercises, I recommend The Jump Manual: