Vertical jump calculator

Wall test calculator

Also called the jump-and-reach or Sargent test. Enter your standing reach and the highest point you touched when jumping.

How to do the wall test

1. Measure and mark your standing reach, flat-footed with one arm raised.
2. Warm up, then stand side-on to the wall and jump as high as you can, touching the wall at the top.
3. Mark the highest touch. Chalk on your fingertips makes the mark easy to read.
4. Repeat three times and use the best touch. Rest between attempts so fatigue does not pull the number down.

Video calculator

Film a jump from the side in slow motion, step through it frame by frame, and count the frames from the first with both feet off the floor to the last before landing.

How the video method works

Time in the air is the number of frames divided by the frame rate. Because a jump is symmetrical, height follows from t: height = g × t² ÷ 8, where g is 9.81 m/s². For example, 132 frames at 240 fps is 0.55 seconds, which works out to about 14.6 in. Counting frames is the weak point, because one frame of error shifts the answer by about 1.8 in at 30 fps, 0.4 in at 120 fps and 0.2 in at 240 fps for that jump. Use the highest frame rate your phone offers.

Wall test or video: which should you trust?

Neither is wrong, but they are not interchangeable. The wall test includes how far you can stretch and swing your arm, so it usually reads higher and matches what a dunk needs, because your hand has to reach the rim. The video measures how far your body rises. Choose one, repeat it under the same conditions, and compare only like with like. A running take-off will usually beat a standing one, and most dunks use an approach, so test the style you will actually use.

Common mistakes

• Mixing methods. Comparing a wall test with a video test makes progress look better or worse than it is.
• Measuring reach in different shoes. Use the same footwear for reach and jump.
• Testing tired. Test fresh, after a warm-up, and use the best of three.
• Trusting one number. Re-test every few weeks and look at the trend.

From vertical to dunk

Your vertical on its own does not say whether you can dunk; it has to be compared with your standing reach and the rim. Put the number into the dunk calculator, or see the vertical needed to dunk by height. If you still need your reach, start with the standing reach calculator. Hard jumping carries injury risk, so warm up and build volume gradually.