What do you think about Monta Ellis’ Dunk over Leandro Barbosa? Right, the guy got hops. But did you know that the 23-year old Golden State Warrior was the worst athlete in the 2005 NBA Draft?

The 6’3”-shooting guard finished 70th in the pre-draft camp. He was the worst ranked guard in camp at either position! His strength, vertical jump and lateral quickness were all on the low end of the scale. He also recorded an average 31-inch vertical.

For comparison only: Verticals of other guards in this camp: 38-inch (Chris Paul) who finished 16th and 35-inch by Deron Williams who finished 10th. In case you wonder who ranked first: The well-known ( 😉 ) Joey Graham came out on top.

Now, we all wonder how the 177 lbs- High Schooler could transform into a spectacular athlete who can get his shot at will and dunks anything and everything that is remotely close to the basket, despite only being 6’3”. There can only be one answer: WORK! It’s all about your effort to make it happen.

In case of increasing your vertical it’s about your workout, about the right exercises.

Now everybody knows about Calf Raises, Lunges, Squats and the Jump Rope. And actually all these exercises work! Weight training and plyometrics are also effective, but – It’s more about the how to do these exercises, how many times, in what combination and when to take a break for your muscles to regenerate, than what to do.

For this reason there are vertical programs. Mostly you get a concrete workout plan. And if you stick to it, it’s realistic to increase your vertical 10-15 inches in 3-4 months.