MY 7 EXERCISES AND

TIPS TO INCREASE YOUR

VERTICAL JUMP
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INTRODUCTION
Hi Champion! I welcome you to this E-book, in which I will reveal the 7 key
steps that allowed me to become an extraordinary athlete: a 51-inch verti-
cal jump, a world record for the highest kick at 3m03, my region's record in
high jump at 2m18, and more than 400 dunk shows in thirty countries over
a period of 15 years. I have often been asked what the secret to my athleti-
cism and longevity is. Today I have decided to give back what has been
transmitted to me throughout my career. So, I am sharing with you 7 tips
and exercises that will allow you to understand how I succeeded, the keys
that allowed me to be smarter and therefore stronger in my way of build-
ing myself. An adventure, a journey, an initiatory journey. If you also dream
of catching the rim, read the following carefully.

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Kadour “Zianimal” Ziani

1 Pistol squat
The Pistol Squat is, in my opinion, the king movement! It involves performing a one-leg squat,
which visually gives it the pistol-like shape from which it takes its name. Its benefits are huge. It is
akin to the lower body what the one hand pushup is to the upper body. It is one of the few exercis-
es that requires high degrees of strength, mobility, stability, balance and body control. It strength-
ens the entire posterior chain and the abdominal chain simultaneously. It also increases the flexi-
bility of the muscles and the mobility of the joints involved during the movement. Finally, it
improves balance and strengthens stabilizing muscles, which will ultimately prevent injuries.
Performing a proper pistol squat requires strength and mobility, ultimately allowing you to acquire
great mastery and awareness of your body, through stepwise progression and through the prac-
tice of intermediate exercises. Now you know why I fell in love with it.

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2 Iso-plyo
Let's move on to another terribly effective exercise. As a reminder, there are four different types of
muscle contractions: concentric, eccentric, isometric, and plyometric. Isometry is distinguished by
the fact that it does not require any joint movement, and therefore no modification in the length
of the muscle. The type of plyometric contraction, for its part, consists of the combination of the
concentric contraction directly linked by an eccentric contraction, in an explosive manner. The
exercise I'm sharing with you here consists of combining the wall sit (isometric type) with squat
jumps (plyometrics). It works in the following way: stay in a chair position - with your back leaning
against a wall in a sitting position until you reach the limit of muscle failure - then directly follow
up with jump squats, going down 90°. All the muscles are involved simultaneously: glutes, quadri-
ceps, hamstrings, calves, and abdominal strap. This is in my opinion "the" method for a good
vertical jump training. Try for yourself, tell me about it!

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3 Core Work
Jumping is a multi-joint movement, that does not only involve the lower body muscles, but pretty
much all muscle groups. In the descending phase as in the ascending phase, it is the abdominal
chain that is responsible for the efficient transfer of power between the upper and lower regions of
the body. If the trunk is unable to effectively handle this energy transfer, you will inevitably lose
power and momentum during the jump, and as a result, it will negatively impact the jump. So, you
know what you have to do - work on your core to maximize your athletic potential! In core work, my
favorite is that of the spider, also called quadrupedic. While walking or in a static position, holding
the position for several seconds on 4 limbs, then 3 and 2. This work is too neglected by basketball
players. I realized this especially when I was called upon to work with professional basketball players
(Vincent Masingue, Sacha Giffa, Joseph Gomis, Mohammed Koné…).

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4 Foot Work
Here, I reveal to you another thing that is often very neglected by professional players, who have
been taught to play basketball without being taught the right body position while they are walk-
ing, running, or jumping! The physical labor is too late and too episodic. However, we sometimes
have to go back to basics, learn how to walk again. Here I want to talk about the big toe.

To rise in the air, you need strong periosteum-tibial muscles and a calf that contracts through the
big toe. It is this little muscle that you can see on my calf (see picture below), it’s this specific
muscle that allows me to fly.

Only a few understand that it is a means of guiding and fixing in the air. To work this specific
muscle, we are going to go to the end, to the big toe. We must bend it, roll it up to contract the calf
which has the effect of containing the hip by the psoas. Just to clarify, I'm talking about the oppo-
site leg here, not the impulse, so this tip mainly concerns one-foot jumpers, without excluding
two-footed jumpers. When I carry, for example, a weight (kettlebell type) with my foot during
training, it is in the idea of having a hook to force the toe to play a role in inertia and in keeping the
movement and the pendulum effect like the yoyo. This is one of the keys to jumping to stay in the
air.

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5 Dunking
It is by dunking that one becomes a dunker. Does it seem obvious to
you? Think again, many of those who have embarked on this quest
forget how important it is to always come back to basics. It is, therefore,
essential to keep the objective of dunking in mind and not to deviate
from it. Dunking is an adventure, a journey that you have to enjoy, you
have to be passionate about it. It doesn’t get better than the pitch. To
do this, it is important to train in steps; I therefore recommend to dunk
on lower baskets. This is important for mastering your technique:
approach, momentum run, momentum and attitude to climb, time in
the air, finishing and landing.

To get there, you have to want it with your heart, that's where it starts.
Being passionate and keeping your passion intact for your goals and
your desire to always jump higher, to be inhabited by that. This desire
to succeed must come from within you, the body will follow. When I
saw Michael Jordan and co dunk when I was a teenager, it kindled a
flame in me, an unerring motivation. I was passionate about it, and
that's what helped me reach the top level. Carelessly doing 3 workouts
a week will not be enough. It is a spirit, a healthy lifestyle. As soon as I
saw a ceiling, a high branch, I tried to touch it, to always go beyond
myself. I burned garbage cans at night to light up my yard. I wanted to
achieve my goal; I was crazy at this point. You too are going to have to
do violence to yourself and go beyond the mental limits that your
environment has imposed on you. Go hard or go home.

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6 Stretching
You may know, I have spent some time observing animals to
understand and get inspired for my training, especially felines. As
a result, I got this nickname “Zianimal” that sticks to my skin. I
invest a large part of my training in working on flexibility, seeking
to restore my body to its original nature.

Stretching not only helps to meet your full potential, but also
helps prevent and heal injuries. Stretching is my medication.
Stretching has also allowed me to develop this internal language,
knowing how to listen to the signals my body sends me, before,
during, and after exertion. It allows you to get to know each
other. You have to know yourself: the mind, then the body. To
know how our mind works; we have to look in our body. “You
have to know yourself to be a better person”. You have to build a
language between body and mind. You have to know when to
rest, and when to train hard. Understand where you feel pain and
know how to heal yourself. Through my stretching and my "body check-up" I have managed to
understand how my body works; and how to make sure that I can train hard, progress and have been
for years. At 46, I continue to do things that I did at 25. I learned to listen and understand how my
body works. Stretching and relaxations are the first exercises that will be the keys that open these
doors, to unlock all the innate and perfect functionalities. Develop our fabricating intelligence, in a
process of seeking harmony between body and mind which will surely lead to the most just move-
ment, harmony, fullness in the union of body and mind, like an animal. This is what the Zianimal
mindset is about.

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7 Golden Advice
Finally, last but not least, know that our human bodies have been created in the best possible way,
and it is up to us to adapt to it, not the other way around. There are universal laws that do not change
and that you will have to respect to be successful. The day is made for activity, the night is for rest.
This is in our DNA, it won't change.

It is the same for Time. A drop of water manages to pierce a rock. How? By the force of time, it is an
immutable universal law.

The quest to the rim is a long process where the key words are patience, constancy, perseverance. We
live in a “fast food” society; I have always fought against that. I am against shortcuts and methods
that do not make you assimilate anything.

You have to go back to basics, learn to walk again, take off those shoes that prevent you from breath-
ing. Relearn how to eat to survive, not live to eat. Relearn to sleep, always aligned with these univer-
sal laws. Sleeping early and waking up early, aligned with the sun, is in your original nature.

Flee pollutants, hearing, visual, or others. Knowing how to make good use of technology and avoid
getting lost in the matrix that distracts and misleads. If you can't focus on your goals; you will not be
able to think and train productively.

“The fight is won or lost far from the witnesses - behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the
road, long before I dance under those lights. "- Mohammed Ali

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About Us
The Zianimal Academy is a team of qualified coaches and physical trainers whose mission is to trans-
pose Kadour Ziani's training methods into an orderly training program and detailed periodization. A
training method based on body control, far from traditional weight training methods.

contact@zianimalacademy.com
www.zianimalacademy.com

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