i'm recovering from achilles tendonitis and was wondering at age 37 should i expect my speed and jump to return or am i forever slow. i once had a vert of almost 30" now probaly 22" could i get back close to 30"? at my age or is that a unrealistic expectation?
yes- you can expect to get back where you were, or even better- but you need to get that achilles healed up first- ice it a few times daily, and rest it. Also (important), dorsiflex your foot, and scrunch your toes. do this as many times as you can, daily. It will feel really weak at first, but this will help in strengthening the area, and eventually it will heal. I had achilles tendonitis for a year and a half, and my injury healed in three weeks when someone told me to do this.
As for increasing your verticle, the best thing to do is jump. Practice jumping at the rim. Start three steps out, run and jump (do this three separate times), then go two steps out, repeat, drop step and repeat, and then get directly under the rim and jump three times. Do this from the left, center, and right. Focus on exploding w/ your hips, getting a good arm swing through the shoulder, and getting full extension w/ the ankle. Do this one or two times a week and you will have a better verticle than when you started.
