Did you see Rajon Rondo nail Jason Maxiell? What about his bottom line jam on Vince Carter? Not only fans know that Boston Celtic Rajon Rondo is fast. But most people don’t even suppose that he can jump that high.

Actually, at just 6’1”, Rondo is one of the best rebounding guards in the NBA, grabbing 5.3 rebounds per game. He is in fifth place this season (2008-2009), just behind Kobe Bryant, who is 6’6”. So it’s obvious that the 22-year-old Celtic can jump. His vertical could be in the area of ​​38 inches. But the good thing about the vertical jump is that you can increase it with special exercises.

By now we’ve all heard of squats, calf raises, and lunges. These exercises are good and will help you improve your verticality, but they may not be the most effective. For that, try some plyometric exercises, as they are designed to improve your explosiveness. And this is a crucial factor in the jumping process, since it is not only about muscle strength, but also about speed. Here are two exercises that will increase your explosiveness:

1) Burnouts: Stand on your toes. Now jump as fast as you can from 1/2 to 1 inch off the ground. Do about 50 repetitions per set.

2) Steps. For this exercise you need a stable box or chair. Put one foot on the box/chair so that your thigh is parallel to the floor. Now use this leg to get up off the chair and jump up into the air as high as possible. Try to switch legs in the air so that you land with the other leg on the box/chair.

Another basic exercise that will improve your speed is Wind Sprints (60-meter run, then 20-second rest, 4 repetitions, 3 times a week). But those exercises are useless if you don’t know exactly how you have to do them and how many reps/sets are effective. Many people are highly motivated and overtrain at first. They just jump too much and don’t really care about proper execution of the exercises, which is crucial. By doing so, they only train your jumping stamina, which is actually counterproductive if you want to improve your explosiveness. They don’t really gain inches on their vertical jump and they give up.