Wondering about Strength shoes, the so-called shoes that make you jump higher?
Before I go into the strength shoes themselves and strength shoe workouts below, let’s see if there are reallyshoes that make you jump higher?
This is a basketball player’s dream. After all, it adds extra inches to your vertical leap without you having to do any extra work.
In this article we take a look at the topic of jump higher shoes. Are they real? Do they work?
Shoes that make you jump higher: Banned by the NBA
We all dream about it and 2 guys built it. As much as we all may think it is fiction, there’s such a shoe around. In fact, it’s been banned by the NBA which says the shoes offer the user an “undue competitive advantage.”
- The company: Athletic Propulsion Labs
- The advantage: the Load ‘N Launch technology.
Athletic Propulsion Labs’ high tech shoes are fitted with forefoot compression springs that offer the jumper extra inches in their vertical.
The real selling point here is that these shoes don’t require you to do any additional training. You just strap them on and instantly jump higher. There’s no need to use any jump training program.
- Those who used the shoes gain up to 3.5 inches to their jump height with the shoes. It also helps that the brand’s shoes are made to be lightweight. Overall, the increase in vertical jump was accompanied by being more explosive.
- The company began with one shoe the Concept 1, but has since added more shoes to its lineup and are now up to the Concept 3, along with other models. They specialize in basketball and running shoes.
- Be ready to shell out some cash because their basketball shoes run for around $175 a pair.
- Gaining 3.5 inches instantly in your jump means a lot when it comes to basketball, so this definitely makes a difference when you want to rise above your opponents.
The question really is will you be allowed to use them in the tournaments you play in since people know about the unfair advantage or will they just be allowed during practice?
Best Shoes that Make You Jump Higher
If you’ve been reading basketball magazines or scouring through different ways to improve your game, you’ve probably seen jump training shoes. These shoes are designed where the heel of the shoe is placed in front instead of the back of the shoe.
This forces the wearer to put all their weight on the balls of their feet (front) instead of the heel. This way when you use the shoe the calf muscles are automatically activated and work with each step, stride or jump.
Jump training shoes are made to be used with plyometric exercises (jumping). The manufacturers claim that doing so allows you train in a way that will improve jumping ability.
Two of the popular jump training shoe brands in the market are the Jumpsoles and also the Strength Shoe. They are different in design but work on the same concept.
Jumpsoles
Jumpsoles are well known and we’ve seen a number of people train with them. They cost close to $100 and come with a DVD instructional video that teaches you how to use them as well as a training manual that guides on how to go about it.
Aside from being able to jump higher, Jumpsoles are said to help improve balance and also strengthen the muscles of the ankles.
We’ve never had the chance to try them but if for that cost we think that a more scientific method like these jump training programs are a better option.
Why?
According to a study carried out at the University of Central Arkansas, they used the Jumpsole to see if it will improve vertical jump, 40 yard dash time and calf size.
- Two groups were given plyometric workouts to be done 2 times a week on sessions of 45 minutes to an hour each. Both groups did the same set of plyometric drills, with one group using Jumpsoles and a control group without the Jumpsoles.
- After 6 weeks, results showed that plyometrics improved vertical jump for both groups but the group using the Jumpsoles didn’t get any enhancements from the shoes.
Strength Shoes
The other well known band of jump training shoes are the Strength Shoes. They are built similar in concept to the Jumpsoles but have different designs. However, the concept is the same in that they are frontal shoe orthotics, where the front section of the shoe is where the wearer puts their weight on.
With the Strength Shoe, a research study done by the University of Wisconsin tested the effects of the Strength Shoe on speed, vertical jump and calf girth compared to a control group and a regular shoe group.
At the end of the study, they concluded that:
“These results indicate that even though there was a tendency for training in Strength Shoes to improve performance, the increases were not significantly greater than training in regular athletic shoes. Additionally, the chances of injury appear to be greater when training in Strength Shoes.”
Strength Shoe Workouts
Okay, so you’ve got strength shoes. But, how exactly do you use them.
A lot of the effectively of your strength shoes come with your strength shoe workouts. It’s like other equipment out there, if you don’t know how to use it, it won’t give you results.
Just remember what Michael Jordan said, you can shoot a thousand free throws. But, if you’re using the bad form, you just learn how to shoot with bad form really well.
In includes exercises like forward and side lunges, squats and others. These will strengthen the main muscles you’ll be using to improve your vertial.
The workout also includes a variety of dynamic jumping exercises like the tuck jump to improve your vertical leaping ability.
What’s great about this Strength Shoe workouts is that it works all your jumping muscles from different angles. So, you’re not only jumping higher vertically but also horizontally and diagonally.
In sports, the overall leaping ability comes with some kind of motion be it forward, upward or sideways. So, this makes it very applicable.
Should you or shouldn’t you use shoes that make you jump higher?
We’ve heard a few people mention that jump training shoes, like Jumpsoles and Strength Shoe, are shoes that make you jump higher so to a degree they do work.
But the question we have is, is it really the shoes or the plyometric training that’s giving the results, since science shows plyo training works.
Also, the other issue we have with this is the increased risk of injury. So it’s up to you.
For us, we prefer tried and testedjump higher workouts like those here.
But, I truly believe that you can combine both to improve your overall vertical jump.
Summary
Thanks to technology there are now shoes that make you jump higher. They’re great in that there’s no training needed and you automatically get an edge over everyone else. The cost, close to $200. Not a biggie if you got the cash.
As for jump higher shoes or jump training shoes, our verdict is still out. We’ve heard some people say they’ve gotten improvements from them, but science seem to say otherwise. We haven’t tried them ourselves so we can’s say for sure.
That said, we believe that jump training programs likethe Jump Manualwhich is based on an all-around program orthe Vert Shock systemwhich is plyometric based are better options if you’re looking to improve your jumping ability.
