As a strength and conditioning coach who has worked with athletes across various disciplines, I’ve always been fascinated by the transfer of training principles from one sport to another. Just the other day, I was scrolling through my feed and saw a post from The Make it Makati page, highlighting the first batch of participants in an event headed by none other than Filipino pole vault star EJ Obiena. That got me thinking. While pole vaulting and basketball seem worlds apart—one aiming for vertical height over a bar, the other a dynamic game of sprints, jumps, and rapid direction changes—the core physical demand is strikingly similar: explosive power. The ability to generate immense force in a fraction of a second is the golden ticket. For basketball players looking to dominate the court, to elevate their game above the rim, the lessons from Obiena’s world of elite track and field are not just relevant; they’re essential. This isn’t about getting marginally better; it’s about unlocking a new tier of athletic performance.
Let’s break down what explosive power really means on the hardwood. It’s that first step that blows by a defender, the vertical leap for a rebound in a crowded paint, or the sudden lateral push to stay in front of your assignment. It’s a combination of maximal strength and speed. Many players, especially younger ones, make the mistake of focusing solely on one aspect—maybe they lift heavy but move slowly, or they do endless bodyweight jumps without a strength base. The magic happens in the confluence. Take EJ Obiena’s craft. A pole vaulter’s run-up and plant is a masterclass in converting horizontal speed into vertical lift, a kinetic chain that requires immense lower body strength, core stability, and coordinated timing. For a basketball player, the approach to a dunk isn’t so different. Your training must reflect that integrated demand. I’m a firm believer that foundational strength is non-negotiable. You can’t be explosive if you’re not strong. Exercises like barbell back squats, deadlifts, and lunges build the muscular and neural infrastructure. Aim for a strength base where you can squat, say, 1.5 times your bodyweight. That’s a solid, though not elite, target for a serious player. But raw strength in the weight room is only half the story.
This is where the concept of rate of force development comes in. It’s a fancy term for how quickly you can tap into that strength. This is the domain of plyometrics and Olympic-style lifting derivatives. Think box jumps, depth jumps, medicine ball throws, and cleans. These movements teach your muscles and nervous system to fire rapidly and in sync. I often program complex pairs, like following a set of heavy front squats with a set of hurdle hops. The heavy lift primes the nervous system, and the plyometric exercise capitalizes on that priming to train speed of contraction. It’s brutally effective. Another personal favorite is the contrast between a slow, controlled eccentric (lowering) phase and an explosive concentric (lifting) phase. A 3-second descent into a squat followed by a jump as high as possible teaches the body to use the stretch-shortening cycle—your body’s natural elastic energy—which is exactly what happens when you dip before a jump on court. I’ve seen players add a solid 2 to 4 inches to their vertical in a single off-season by committing to this kind of intelligent, phased training, moving from a strength accumulation phase to a power conversion phase.
Now, let’s talk about the often-neglected hero: unilateral training and deceleration. Basketball is rarely played on two feet in perfect symmetry. You’re lunging for a loose ball, planting off one foot to drive, or landing from a rebound. Training each leg independently with exercises like Bulgarian split squats or single-leg Romanian deadlifts not only builds resilience against injury but also improves stability for those off-balance plays. More critically, the ability to decelerate—to stop on a dime—is what allows you to change direction and explode again. It’s the defensive staple. Drills that focus on controlled, powerful stopping from a sprint are just as important as the ones that get you moving. And we can’t forget the core. Not just crunches, but anti-rotation and dynamic stability work. Pallof presses, landmine rotations, and even heavy carries build a torso that can transfer power from your legs through your hips and into your upper body for that powerful finish through contact. Your core is your transmission; if it’s weak, all the engine power in your legs gets lost.
Wrapping this up, building explosive power for basketball isn’t a mystery. It’s a science, and we can borrow that science from the highest levels of sport, just as EJ Obiena exemplifies in his field. It requires a holistic blend of maximal strength training, high-velocity power work, unilateral stability, and dedicated deceleration practice. It’s demanding, and honestly, it’s not always fun—those depth jump sessions can be soul-crushing. But the payoff is undeniable. When you feel that extra spring in your step, when you start beating opponents to spots you couldn’t reach before, it transforms your game. It’s the difference between being a participant and being a dominant force. So, look beyond the court for inspiration, structure your workouts with intent, and commit to the process. The rim, and your opponents, will feel the difference.