Question about "athleticism"

[DieselBro]

Rip,

I was reading your article on T Nation about the Current state of strength and conditioning coaching.

My son is in 8th grade, a bit fluffy like me 6'2 1/2" 250 lbs and plays football/basketball. (Has potential genetics to end up between 6'4" and 6'7")

From what I gather reading your article, you get the most bang for your training "buck" just concentrating on maximal strength. I.E. Just doing the program, and your improved athleticism will manifest itself via getting stronger?

Now that CYO basketball is over, we're just basically doing the program, and some walking on the off days. He's eating at a slight deficit to try and lose a little of the "bad weight" but not kill his lifts, much like me.

[Mark Rippetoe]

What is his Standing Vertical Jump?

[Will Morris]

Michael Oher, a very good left tackle in his day, posted a 31" vertical at the NFL Combine at 309# of body weight. The vertical jump test is very telling of an athlete's potential.

[DieselBro]

What is his Standing Vertical Jump?

Sorry, not sure, I will have to figure out some way to measure that.

[MWittmer]

Sorry, not sure, I will have to figure out some way to measure that.

• Chalk your dominate hand (fingertips) and stand with your dominate side to a wall.
• Reach the arm closest to the wall as high as possible and touch the wall.
• From the standing position, jump and hit the wall at the highest point of your jump.
• Try several jumps and use your highest one.
• Measure the distance between the mark from the highest jump and the standing mark.

[Sinai]

Sorry, not sure, I will have to figure out some way to measure that.

Can he touch the basketball rim? At 6'2", that would ballpark around 24"

[Thomas Jones]

• Reach the arm closest to the wall as high as possible and touch the wall.
  

Flat footed or on tippy toes?

[Mark Rippetoe]

Flat-footed, since that's how the jump starts.

[Aaron Montgomery]

• Chalk your dominate hand (fingertips) and stand with your dominate side to a wall.
• Reach the arm closest to the wall as high as possible and touch the wall.
• From the standing position, jump and hit the wall at the highest point of your jump.
• Try several jumps and use your highest one.
• Measure the distance between the mark from the highest jump and the standing mark.

This seems an intelligent way of doing things. I just taped a tennis ball to a rope and taped the rope to my ceiling. I jumped without shoes on and kept raising the rope till my head couldn't touch the ball anymore.

[DieselBro]

I measured his flat foot reach to exactly 8 foot to his extended middle finger. He just barely can touch the rim, so I am going to ball park it at 2 foot, until this snow goes away and we do it outside. I was going to put some chalk on his middle finger and have him jump and touch the side of the house and measure the chalk mark.