You’ve seen Dwyane Wade dive over Anderson Varejao (11.12.2009)? That one was sick!

What about his dunk on Bruce Bowen, Jamal Crawford or Kevin Garnett? Right, Flash went crazy! In fact, D-Wade may be one of the best dives in the league! And in case you didn’t know, the guy is only 6-4 but has a 38-inch vertical!

So what is your secret? Ask the shooting guard who is the best player in the NBA.

“LeBron James. I like him better that way,” Wade says. “I need a rabbit to chase. Because if I keep fighting, I’ll only achieve greater success. It’s about dedication, having goals in life.”

And that’s exactly the attitude you need if you really want to increase your vertical. Because you can’t do it overnight. It is a lot of work. But it is also a lot of fun. When you dive in, when you throw a backhand, a 360 the first time, you’ll understand why. But first, you need to work, train very hard.

There are many exercises that work. Here are some:

– Depth jumps

Place a plyometric box in front of you (3 feet tall). Get on and off with both feet. As soon as you land, jump back as high as you can. (4 sets x 10 reps)

– Burnouts

Go as high as you can on your toes. Now repeatedly jump no more than 1/2 to 1 inch off the ground. (3 sets x 50 reps)

– Thrusts

Jump as high as you can and as soon as you land, immediately push yourself back trying not to bend your legs. (4 sets x 15 reps)

Do you need some motivation for your training? Just check out some dunks from Dwyane Wade!

For more exercises and crucial things to know about vertical jump (why often what you “don’t” do is more important than what you “do”), check out this page. I highly recommend: