Every basketball player or upcoming player always asks the same question –
Are there basketball shoes that make you jump higher?
In this article, I will answer that exact question and more.
Everyone wants shoes that make you jump higher and finally hit the windmill dunk…
In this article, we will evaluate jumping Mechanics, the shoes that promise increased vertical results, and even banned NBA shoes.
Is it possible to add a few inches to your vertical with a shoe? Even if it is 3 inches, every inch counts.
Basketball Shoes
Basketball Shoes are one of the best inventions that ever happened to the game of basketball…
These shoes allow players to play comfortably and reduce injuries.
The added padded to basketball shoes absorbed the impact of players when they jump, landed, and pivoted.
Without this extra padding and support, the players will be at a greater risk of injury.
But…
The question on everyone’s mind is, what are the best basketball shoes to jump higher?
Jump Mechanics
To reach your maximum vertical leap, you must jump in the correct form.
You need to focus the jump on the balls of your feet and not the heels…
Of course, the muscle strength of your calves and upper legs plays a huge role in your jumping ability.
If you are interested in the science of jumping higher, I recommend that you check out the book Vertical Foundations.
Jumping Technology
There is a brand that goes above and beyond and stands above the competition when it comes to technology designed to help you jump higher.
And no, it is not Nike or Adidas…
It is actually APL, which stands for Athletic Propulsion Labs…
The APL basketball shoe was actually banned from the NBA in the 2010-2011 season.
The reason for the ban is because of their technology that they call the Load ‘N Launch.
This technology, in short, provides an instant rebound effect that is transferred up through the foot to enhance vertical leap…
APL claims that you can achieve up to 3.5 inches on your vertical with their technology.
If you want to learn more about the technology, you can check it out here.
APL Basketball Shoes
We will focus on APL shoes for this section because they are the only shoes that promise to improve your vertical jump by just lacing up their shoes.
You might think this statement is creditable because the shoes were banned in the 2010-2011 NBA season; crazy, right?
The ban on the shoes from the NBA definitely helped these shoes become more popular and desired by many players looking to increase their vertical instantly.
There is NO evidence that these shoes help you jump higher, besides the researchers at APL that stated the shoes will magically increase your vertical…
With that said they are very well made and comfortable shoes…
These shoes can compete with the best in the shoe industry like Nike when it comes to comfort and stability…
And in my opinion, they actually look pretty good.
I am sorry if you are looking for shoes to help you dunk or an easy answer on how to increase your vertical…
The APL shoes are not that…
If you are a true believer in their technology and think it will magically increase your vertical, make sure you have some money saved up.
The newest installment of the APL shoes will cost you $200.
The APL shoe price is not small so let me save you some money and tell you that these are not the answer to increasing your vertical.
But continue reading there might be something else that you can use and it night be cheaper.
Two Types of Basketball Shoes
It is important to know the difference between the different types of shoes that claim to make you jump higher.
- Training Shoes: These are shoes that will train your muscles specifically to jump higher. Like Jumpsoles and strength shoes.
- Performance-Enhanced Shoes: These are the type of shoes that make you jump higher because of the technology inside the shoes like APL shoes and their Load ‘N Launch technology.
Training Shoes
Training shoes claim that if you wear them, then your vertical will increase, but is this true?
There have been many training shoes that claim to help you jump higher…
But I will be going over the top two popular choices among players looking to increase their vertical.
1. Strength Shoes
Strength shoes are a special type of vertical jump training shoes that have a raised platform on the ball of the foot…
This makes it when you lace them up, the ball of your foot is doing all the lifting since your heel is off the ground.
These shoes run $99.99-$199.99…
If you are spending this kind of money, you want to make sure they work?
The idea behind these shoes is to have your calf’s supports 100% of your body weight…
With regular shoes, your calf is only supporting about 30%.
A study done with affiliation with James Maddison University trained athletes for 10 weeks and compared the results of the men wearing strength shoes and regular shoes. The study found that there were trends towards better performance and less injury with regular shoes…
What does this mean?
It means wearing strength shoes does not increase your performance but can increase the risk for injury…
A disclaimer, there have been a few people who have claimed improvement with strength shoes…
But it is not worth the risk for injury, these shoes cannot be recommended.
2. Jumpsoles
The Jumpsoles are a vertical jump training shoes that are similar to a strength shoes, but with Jumpsoles, you slip over any shoes that you are wearing and make the balls of your feet do all the work…
The key to wearing the Jumpsoles is that you need to work out with these on…
The best exercises to use with these are jump rope, lunges, and step-ups.
Jumpsoles promise to add 5 to 10 inches to your vertical and decrease your 40-yard dash by 0.2 seconds or your money back…
Sounds great, right?
But…
There have been a few studies done that compared the results of Jumpsoles to players not wearing jumpsoles, and there was no significant increase in their vertical or 40 years dash time.
If you are looking for a magic shoe or solution that will increase your vertical, you have to keep looking because these are not it…
Keep reading, I think there is something that will help you…
What Shoes Should You Buy to Maximize Your Vertical Leap?
Shoes today are made with better quality and technology than 10 years ago…
With shoemakers like Nike and Adidas, it is hard to go wrong…
But you can always pick a lousy shoe, and that can hurt your performance.
The right shoes will not let you take flight from the free throw line like Jordan…
But the right shoes are essential to give maximum stability and reduce wear and tear that jumping, running, and cutting can cause.
To help you chose the right shoes, I narrowed down 4 characteristics of a shoe that you need to look out for…
with these 4 characteristics, you can pick the basketball shoes that will help you jump higher.
1. Traction
This is something that you need, and you have to feel safe when on the court…
While traction provides safety because you are not sliding every time you make a move…
Traction is essential to be able to provide maximum force to the ground to get the greatest vertical jump.
This is because there is no slipping, and you can convert all that running momentum to the ground efficiently.
This is the reason why you jump higher on clean, waxed floors because there is no dirt or grim getting under your shoes, and because of this, you have complete traction.
2. Comfort and Fit
The support and fit of the shoe is vital for a good vertical…
If you have a shoe too tight, it will be painful every time you plant because your foot and toes will be squeezed.
On the contrast, if a shoe is too big will it decrease the effectiveness of your vertical jump…
Every time you plant your foot it will slide in the shoe and hit the front of the shoe…
Causing you to be less stable, which can result in a decreased vertical.
If a shoe is slightly bigger, you can wear basketball socks to take up the extra room.
3. Cushion
unfortunately, injury happens often in basketball because of the types of movements that are required…
Having a shoe that has cushion can reduce this wear and tear…
Jumping causes a lot of wear and tear when landing because of all the force being applied to your joints, especially your knees and ankles.
Tip: You can put insoles in your shoes to help with the cushion, the ones I used are from Sof Sole, and you can check them out here.
4. Weight
This is a new thing that has been an important factor for players in the last few years…
Leading manufacturers like Nike and Adidas are reducing the weight of their shoes to as little as 9 ounces, which is super light…
This gives the player a feeling of being lighter and “Jumping higher.’
But to be honest, the weight has no actual benefit to jumping higher…
It’s mental, and it creates a placebo effect…
If you have lighter shoes, you feel like you can jump higher but, a few ounces are not going to make a difference in your vertical leap…
The only thing you can argue is that the extra few ounces will decrease your momentum, but there are no studies that have verified that the few ounces make a significant impact.
So, How Do You Jump Higher?
There are no shortcuts on increasing your vertical…
You can not add springs to your shoes, or get one of these strength shoes that promise to increase your vertical by wearing them and doing a few workouts…
I will give you the key that will increase your vertical significantly, and it’s one of the best-kept secrets, even with the pros…
Are you ready…
It’s you have to work hard.
No shoe will turn you into a dunking monster or turn you into the next Vince Carter.
Keep reading, and I will be described what you can do to really increase your vertical…
The best part is that these options are cheaper than any method above…
And the kicker is that they are actually proven to work.
These programs have proven to increase players’ vertical by 9 to 15 inches…
Recommended: Vert Shock
This is my leading choice in increasing your vertical…
I personally went through this Jump program, and I got insane results…
I was able to increase my vertical by 11 inches…
You can check out my Vert Shock review here.
This program is made by Adam Folker and Justin ‘jus Fly’ Darlington…
Justin has a 50.1 vertical himself.
The programs require no weights and rely on shock workouts…
Let me tell you that this program is hard, and it will push you for 8 weeks, but you will see results…
You can check out the testimonials.
Vert Shock is the best vertical jump program in the game, and it comes with 11 bonuses…
the best part is that the program is only $67…
that is less than any jump sole, strength shoe, or a good basketball shoe.
Once bought, you have it for life, the program will not wear out like a shoe will.
Instead of buying a gimmick that promises you results…
I recommended getting Vert Shock and dunking as you dream about it.
Jump Manual
Jump Manual is another leading jump program…
This comes second to Vert Shock for a couple of reasons I will go over…
But nonetheless, this is a legit and excellent jump training program.
You can check out my review here.
Jump Manual was created by Jacob Hiller, a vertical jump and quickness trainer.
Jump Manual will get you the results, but in my opinion, it is more demanding than Vert Shock…
Jump Manual is a full 12-week jump training program that requires full dedication.
Like Vert Shock, this program has everything needed to increase your vertical straight down to nutrition.
Also, this program requires weights to get the full effect and get the most benefit.
So, if you do not have excess weight, I suggest going with Vert Shock.
It is good to note that this program is not beginner-friendly.
The cost of this program is $97, which is a little bit more expensive than Vert Shock…
But still cheaper than the fake promises you will get with shoes that promise changes in your vertical.
Summary
There is no magic pill, no quick fix to increase your vertical…
You can’t spend $100 on a pair of shoes and expect to be jumping out of the gym.
If you get strength shoes or jump soles, you will get no results, and you are putting yourself at risk for injury.
If you get enhanced performance shoes, you are wasting money because they simply do not work.
Instead of throwing money away in the garbage, you should go with a proven basketball jump program that gets results…
if you really want to increase your vertical, I suggest that you go with Vert Shock or Jump Manual…
I recommend Vert Shock over Jump manual because Vert Shock is only 8 weeks, it’s cheaper and it does not require weights.
I hope this article helped you answer the question…
Are there basketball shoes that make you jump higher?
No Responses