Dwyane Wade was gifted with the ability to fly, but through smart and explosive jump training, he has been able to increase his elevation. Once his legs are loose and somewhat fatigued, Dwyane performs Explosive Depth Jumps to boost his vertical jumping ability. “We do this towards the end of the workout when he’s fatigued,” says Tim Grover, Dwyane’s off-season strength coach. “We know how explosive he is at the beginning of the game. But we want him to be more explosive than anyone else out there at the end of the game.”
When performing this exercise, make sure to follow a proper progression to prevent injury and enhance results. “We started him at 24 inches and worked him up to 36, then went up to 42,” Grover says. “The average individual can start as low as 12 [inches]. You do not want to start high. This has been a progression for 10 weeks.”
Superset this exercise with Dwyane’s Slideboard Dynamic Hip/Glute Stretch.
Check out Dwyane’s entire workout here.

Depth Box Jump

• Assume athletic stance on edge of plyo box with box of same height about five feet in front
• Hop forward off box and land softly on ground halfway to opposite box
• Immediately explode up and onto box in front
• Land softly with bent knees
• Slowly step off box, return to start and repeat for specified reps

Sets/Reps: 3×1-6
Coaching Points: Start with low boxes and increase height as you progress // Spend as little time on ground as possible
More drills to boost your vertical jump and explosiveness can be found at the STACK Plyometrics page.