Your vertical jump probably isn’t as high as you think. There I said it. Probably not going to make some of you happy but the fact is a great vertical takes a lot of work and is a long term development process that involves multiple factors of strength training, power training, and body composition.

The internet is littered with videos of guys you have never heard of that are supposedly jumping 45”, 50” and more and they “prove” this with videos of them dunking basketballs, jumping on high boxes (which has only a partial coorelation to vertical jump) and other things. Funny thing is what you don't see them doing is jumping on the Vertec vertical jump tester…a method which would actually prove their vertical is as high as they think.

So now that I have burst your bubble about these internet jump “phenoms” lets break it down and get really specific.

Using the pictures above, you need to start by understanding a vertical jump measurement is the difference between standing reach and maximum height of jump. Regardless of how cool it looks that they are playing "above the rim" the vertical measurement starts with how high they can reach and then how much they come off the ground as the jump.

In the first pic, while this is a good looking vertical I doubt 54” because the rim is at 10 feet, i.e. 120” and he appears to be fairly below halfway as it compares feet to ground as opposed to feet in relation to rim.

It’s almost an optical illusion when you look at a high speed freeze frame like this because you are drawn to his hand stretched out in relation to the rim rather than looking at what a vertical jump actually is.

He is 5’9’ tall. The average reach for someone 5’9” is 7’9” which converts to 93” with a differential of 27” between standing reach and height of rim meaning, a roughly 27” – 28” vertical will allow most guys who are 5’9” to grab rim.

(Average reach relative to height came from this website - http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-pre-draft-measurements/?page=averages&year=All&draft=100&pos=0&sort=)

And a vertical of, let’s say for sake of discussion 33” puts them a full 6 inches ABOVE RIM. It’s also widely accepted that 5” – 6” over the height of the rim is what is necessary to be able to dunk.

Now this is not at all showing disrespect to the guys in these videos. For regular athletes a 27 – 28 vertical is good and above 30 is great. This guy in the video here is probably in the mid-30s and that is great….but it is simply NOT a 50” vertical…or a 45….or a 40 even.

The best vertical jump at the NFL Combine is 46" by Gerald Sensabaugh (FS), from North Carolina in 2005. This was measured on the Vertec vertical jump tester.

For all the claims here and there of people with 50” verticals there is little to any measurable quantifiable proof. Isn’t that convenient?

And if this comes across sounding like a jerk, then so be it, but if NFL prospects, some of the strongest, most explosive athletes in the world don't have a long list of players jumping 50” verticals, I have real doubts that there are these supposed “freak” athletes in every little town across America busting out 50” verticals on a regular basis.

If there are they should prove it, there are plenty of schools, sports performance centers, etc. that have legitimate vertical jump testing equipment. Go test yourself, and then post it. Not dunking….not jumping over a high hurdle or on a big box. Test yourself on a vertical jump testing device.

If you really want to improve your vertical, don't buy into these crap programs sold on the internet or the silly platform shoes that will supposedly add inches to your jump almost overnight. One program actually claims it will “double your vertical jump”. Well if that were possible EVERYONE on the planet would buy it because even athletes with relatively small jumps like 20” – 22” would now be jumping over 40”. Its B.S. people and I can’t make it any clearer than that.

Want a better vertical? You better be increasing your strength through squats and deadlifts, increasing your power with jumping variations and making sure your body composition is in check (i.e., don't get too heavy or have too much excess bodyfat). That's what it takes. Work hard put in the time and although you may not be jumping a 50” vertical (because neither are these guys) you will see improvements in performance.