Hey, I am currently a coach and trying to get some summer work outs for some kids who are 14-16. Most of them are fairly athletic white kids who are about 5'10, 150lbs, who can grab the rim and I would love to see them start being able to dunk the ball come next basketball season.

I personally tried the special shoes and found they helped a little bit, but then again this is also when I started working out and went from being a chubby 205 to a muscular 185 and I dunked a few times. So, not sure if it was me using the special shoes or squatting 500lbs.

So, has anyone tried any programs for guys around 14-16? I obviously googled it, but you get a bunch of BS testimonials, I would like some real testimonials! Thanks guys!

I've used a bunch of programs, but honestly most of them stink. They are cookie-cutter programs that might work for one and not another. One kid might need to work on his flexibility, another needs to work on strength, and another might need to work on movement mechanics.

I've became a big follower of Vern Gambetta. He is a no BS type of guy that really makes you think about how you are developing athletes. These are the steps that Vern Gambetta outlines in his book Athletic Development book. I would highly advise to also buy his Jump, Jump, Jump DVD. It was made in the 90s, but the information is top-notch. Here is a link to the video: http://www.gambetta.com/Merchant5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=gambetta&Product_Code=DJMP&Category_Code=Videos

1. Landing - teach proper foot strike,; use of ankle, knee, and hip; and correct body alignment.
2. Stabalization Responses - reinforce correct landing technique, raise levels of eccentric strength, and improve ability to stabalize.
3. Jump-Up - teach the takeoff action; triple extention of the ankle, knee, and hip joints; and efficient use of arms.
4. In-place responses - teach quick reaction on and off the ground and vertical displacemtn of the center of gravity.
5. Short Responses - teach ohrizontal displacement of the center of gravity.
6. Long responses - add horizontal velocity
7. Shock Method - high neverous demand this is an advanced form of trainig tha requires a large training base.

He has some sample training programs in his books, but you will probably need to put the kids in different groups and give them different workouts based on their needs.

I would also stress the use of the jump rope. Using different styles of jumping, such as jump fast, high, etc...anything where players are having to use explosive type moves will benefit. I like the old fashion jump rope for about 20 minutes. Make sure they stay on their toes and use both feet.

I agree, NHayden. The jump rope is a great tool. I like to use it in team or even my own personal workouts as warm up.

It enforces good landing technique, good posture, coordination, and rhythm.

I'll use it for about 2 to 5 minutes.

What I typically do is about.

20 stationary jumps.
10 stationary hops for each leg (jump and land on one foot - the same foot).
20 Alternate Jumps

Next, I like to set up cones about 10 to 15 yards apart and move while jumping rope.
Forward Jumps
Lateral Jumps
Running Motion

That's just a basic one. You can get as creative as you want. Turns, Combos, etc.

Depending on your goal and the level of your athletes, you could also incorporate some:

2 sets of 5 - Jump and Stick - jump and hold the landing for 3 sec.
2 sets of 5 - Hop and Stick - jump and land on the same foot while holding the landing for 3 sec.
2 sets of 10 - Tuck Jumps
2 sets of 6 - Multi-Direction Jumps

Remember, you always want quality over quantity. It's okay to do these at 75% at first to perfect the technique and landing techniques. AFter they get the hang of it, you can increase the intensity.

Another thing I didn't mention above. You probably want to avoid depth jumps off of boxes with this group. Depth jumps is an advanced jumping exercise that is used when normal strength training and plyo training has start to plateu. It also takes years of jump training experience.

Also, how much bball are they playing? That plays a huge factor into how many jumps you should be doing? If they are playing quite a bit, you may want to tone down the jumping workout to once a week.

Here is a great jump rope warm up that you can use:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gy9pDb2WWg