Carmelo Anthony Dunk Or How Tto Increase Vertical Jump
1. Carmelo Anthony Dunk Or How Tto Increase Vertical Jump
Did you see Carmelo Anthony's dunk over Theo Ratliff? Or the one over Jerome Williams? What
about the one on Francisco Elson?
One of his sickest dunks was the crazy facial over entire Argentina team on 30.08.2007!
It's obvious the Denver Nuggets small forward dunks a lot. As a matter of fact, the 23-year old
superstar had more dunks (157!) last season than LeBron James (108), Josh Smith (101), Vince
Carter (86), Shaquille O'Neil (83), Kobe Bryant (59) or Dwyane Wade (59)! Only four players had
more dunks than Melo: Chris Wilcox (161), Shawn Marion (169), Amare Stoudemire (180) and Dwight
Howard (254).
But back in the days, when Carmelo Anthony was drafted in 2003, a lot of people doubted Anthony's
athletic ability, many were talking about overweight. And they never stopped.
Last summer, the 6-8 forward decided he needed to drop some excess pounds to get his game back
to where it needed to be. He stuck to a strict diet, mostly of fish and vegetables.
"No steak! I was on the fish diet. No carbs." - Carmelo Anthony
The result: Melo lost 15 pounds, slimming down to 225 lbs. With impressing 8 percent body fat.
Besides the normal workout, he also worked on his vertical, that is at 35 inches by now. To reach that
Anthony mainly concentrated on plyometic training - explosive power movements.
Plyometrics work the lengthening contraction of a muscle and then follow it quickly with a concentric
contraction, which has particular benefits for basketball players looking to jump higher and more
quickly.
Here are some examples:
Front Box Jump:
Stand facing a bench or a sturdy box (use one 12 inches high to start, and work your way up to taller
boxes). Jump onto it with both feet, landing softly with your knees slightly bent. Step down and
repeat.
Side Box Jump:
This time stand with the box or bench at your left side so you jump onto it laterally. Land softly, step
down, and repeat. Perform the second set with the box at your right.
Medicine Ball Jump:
Stand under a basket or next to a wall. Grab a medicine ball and hold it over your head. Bend your
knees and quickly bring the ball down to your waist. Explode straight up as you lift the ball above your
head, trying to touch the ball to a target--the rim, the backboard, the bottom of the net, or a point on
the wall.
Try any of these plyometric moves two or three times a week. Do two sets of five to 10 repetitions,
resting for 60 seconds between sets.
For more exercises and crucial things to know about vertical jump (f.e. Why often what you "don't" do
is more important then what you "do" do) please take a look at this page I strongly recommend:
