Jumpsoles have been proven time and time again to offer no edge to a normal plyometric routine; all they've been shown to do is increase the chance of injury while training plyometrics. They're worthless, get rid of them.
You want to jump higher? Gouger is right about the rim jumps and depth jumps- those should form the core of your plyometric routine. In the weight room, hit legs twice a week; one day, cleans should be your priority lift, one day, squats should be your priority lift.
And there is a magic workout, Chu wrote it in his second edition of "Jumping Into Plyometrics." It's the 5-5-5 squat routine. 5 slow squats + 5 Dynamic (fast as you can) squats + 5 jump squats.
I'm 6'5" 250 lbs. and I can bring my head to within 2" of the breakaway box. My eighth grade coach told me I would never dunk.
Just do the hard shit, dunking ain't that special.
I always love reading your input Madmick but regarding this post, I disagree with them being worthless.
You mention Don Chu, who redesigned Frank Shamrock's conditioning routine in the late 90's. Frank later trained with jumpsoles for his fight with Ortiz and was personally blown away with the results. Around this time, I believed Don Chu promoted the jumpsoles to a degree (just as he has done later on with the X-vest). Maurice Smith loved them too.
I'm a mod at frank's forum and have been in contact with him for a long time so we sometimes share training ideas. In the following vid he explains why he doesn't train with them anymore (at 6:12):
YouTube - fan questions part 3
This is an old article that Frank wrote regarding the jumpsoles (saved this a long time ago):
"Be On Your Toes!
Training Tips
by Frank Shamrock
In the lifelong pursuit of martial arts, my style and training have changed many times. I believe the very essence of martial arts is the thirst for knowledge and the truth about us.
One truth that has remained constant is that, "Everything works but nothing works for long," at least not without improvement. It's human nature to want to constantly re-examine and question not only the reasons why something works, but also the reasons why it fails.
In preparing for my fifth UFC title fight I was forced to examine not only the weaknesses of my style but I had to acknowledge the strengths of my opponent's.
Would my training and technique be enough to take out this 6-foot-3, 220-pound college wrestling champion who could punch, kick and knee with devastating power I would not only have to be the faster striker but I would need good, evasive movement to keep from meeting head to head with all that size and power.
My wife, Angelina, and I looked at my current training and realized I needed more explosive movement and quicker feet. Angelina found the answer with the Jumpsoles, a plyometric-training tool that not only strengthens the fast-twitch muscles of the lower body but also specifically targets the tibiallus and gastric nemaus. The Jumpsoles work the front, back and sides of your calves, as well as all the secondary proprioceptor muscles responsible for balance and reaction. Jumpsoles have long been a favorite in the basketball world where jumping and footwork are a must for winning and gaining control of the game.
When you strike or grapple all your momentum starts in your feet and is followed with your body for whatever attack you decide to make. You have no doubt heard the term "he or she is flat". This refers to a fighter who is totally flat-footed in a fight. If I were to place my foot flat on the. ground and try to move it, first I would have to lift to the balls of the feet before I went anywhere. Not only does it take twice as long to move, but it will also take twice the energy to do so. Just the act of
