subject: Jumping Higher [print this page] If you love to play basketball, for sure, you have been doing exercises to increase your jump ever since the first time you played the game. The ability to jump high is a great asset for any basketball player. If jumping higher is one of your goals, what must you remember in order to achieve that goal?
Your jumping ability is something that you can definitely keep on improving as long as you know what and how to do it. Remember that if you want to become a good basketball player, you must continuously improve the abilities that you already have. And if you definitely want to increase your jump, there are three important things to know: exercise, diet, and discipline.
It is very vital for athletes to observe proper diet. Proper nourishment is important because the energy that you need will always come from the food that you eat. The energy of the body comes from the fats, proteins, and carbohydrates that are found in food. How much fats, proteins, and carbohydrates must be in the diet?
Carbohydrates could supply the energy that you need very quickly. This fact makes carbohydrates the number one fuel for athletes. Before a game, a diet rich in starch and complex carbohydrates is the best. A diet that is rich in simple sugars typically found in energy drinks and fruits is the best for a post-game meal.
Although fat contains twice the amount of energy than carbohydrates, this cannot be easily broken down into energy. And since saturated fats have been implicated in the development of certain diseases, it is advised to limit this to not more than 10% of your diet. Monounsaturated fats and essential fatty acids are the good kinds since these have been proven to protect against certain diseases.
Another vital nutrient is protein. Protein works in the growth and repair of skin, bones, hair, tendons, muscles, ligaments, and others. For competitive athletes, it has been suggested that the proper amount of protein in their diet is 1.2 to 2 grams per kilogram of body weight.
Another important thing for athletes is proper exercise. Knowing the proper exercises that will increase your jump could definitely help you in achieving that goal. And one effective type of exercise that can improve your jump and athletic performance is plyometrics. This is because plyometrics could improve your strength, speed, and agility. With plyometric exercises geared towards increasing your jump, these target specific muscles that are vital in your jump. Plyometrics also teaches proper body synchronization because the movement of every body part can affect your jump. And plyometrics can also train the muscles in producing a strong force in a short span of time.
Of course, discipline is very essential among athletes. If you are not disciplined, you will definitely not do the exercises regularly and correctly and you will also not follow the proper diet. Remember these three important things if you are looking forward to jumping higher.
