Trying to Jump Higher – My Little Journey
Okay, so I saw some stuff about Mac McClung, you know, the dude who jumps insanely high in the NBA slam dunk contest. It kinda got me thinking. Man, I used to love trying to touch the rim back in the day, never really got close though. Seeing him fly like that? It just sparked something. I thought, hey, maybe I can add a few inches to my own jump? Not looking to dunk or anything crazy, just wanted to see if I could actually improve it with some effort.
So, first thing I did was, well, just jump. Went out to the driveway, near the hoop, and gave it my best shot. Reached up, marked a spot on the backboard with my fingers. Yeah, wasn’t impressive. Let’s just say the net was safe. That was my starting point, my super unofficial measurement.
Then I started looking into what people actually do to jump higher. Didn’t want anything too complicated, no fancy gym equipment needed ’cause I don’t have much. Kept it simple. Here’s kinda what I started doing, maybe 3-4 times a week:
- Jump Rope: Just basic skipping. Read somewhere it helps with footwork and explosiveness. Did it for like 10-15 minutes to warm up. Felt kinda silly at first, not gonna lie.
- Bodyweight Squats: Simple stuff. Just down and up. Tried to focus on going deep and exploding upwards. Did like 3 sets of 15-20.
- Calf Raises: Standing on the edge of a step, going up and down on my toes. Burned quite a bit after a few sets.
- Box Jumps (on a low step): Found a sturdy low step outside. Started really low, just focusing on jumping up and landing softly. Didn’t want to kill myself on day one. Maybe 3 sets of 8-10 jumps.
- Just Jumping: After the exercises, I’d just practice jumping high. Trying to reach that spot I marked earlier, or just jumping as high as I could for a few minutes.
How it’s going…
Honestly? It’s tough work. Some days I felt really springy, others my legs felt like lead. Consistency is the hard part, right? Especially when you don’t see results immediately. There were definitely days I wanted to just skip it.
After a few weeks, I went back to that spot on the backboard. Did I magically turn into Mac McClung? Hah, no way. But… I think I was touching slightly higher. Maybe an inch? Hard to tell for sure without proper measuring tools, but it felt like I was getting up a tiny bit more. My legs also felt stronger, which is a plus anyway.
So, yeah. That’s where I’m at. Still doing the routine, mostly. Haven’t added much else yet. It’s slow progress, but it’s kinda cool just putting in the work and seeing something happen, even if it’s small. Not sure if I’ll ever get much higher, but hey, it’s a process. Maybe I’ll update later if I suddenly start grabbing the rim (don’t hold your breath though!).
