In jump training, basketball players do standing jumps and jumps with forward movement and many jumps during play. However, when going for a rebound or blocking a shot, the ball is not always directly in front of you and you must twist and turn 90 or more degrees to reach the ball.
To improve your ability to twist and turn while in the air, you should do true plyometric jumps with a 90 or 180-degree turn. But before incorporating the jumps, be sure you are jumping effectively. This means when you take off, your legs are straight, your toes are pointed and your body is directly above your feet. In a true plyometric jump, the jump should be a maximal jump striving to achieve maximum height. The landing and takeoff should be executed as quickly as possible, typically in less than 15 seconds.
When you can repeat 10 such jumps, you will be ready to incorporate a turn. On takeoff, leap up in the air and then make a 90-degree turn so that when you land you are facing to the left or right 90-degrres. Then without stopping, leap up again and return to the front-facing position. Become proficient in turning to your left as well as to the right and execute each jump as quickly as possible. When you have mastered the 90-degree turns in true plyometric jumps and can do them consecutively for 10 repetitions, you will be ready for the 180-degree turns.
Execute them in the same manner, but after you take off, turn your body a full 180-degrees so when you land, you will be facing backward. Then leap up and turn another full 180-degrees so that you are once again facing forward. Continue in this manner for no more than 10 jumps.
When you are proficient in executing true plyometric 180-degree jumps in place, incorporate slight forward movement with every jump. In other words, after takeoff and flight, you should land approximately one to two feet in front of your takeoff spot. Then leap up again and travel another one to two feet. With each jump, include a turn for 90 or 180-degrees as you slowly move forward. Do up to 10 jumps. Do active rest for one to two minutes and then repeat. On each landing, be sure you land ball-heel immediately. Do not land on the toes as is typically advocated. The landing should be closer to being flat-footed rather than with the toes pointed down when you first make contact. When you land toes-first, you can easily jam the bones of the foot. Flatten out the landing so the foot arch can absorb but mainly accumulate energy on each touchdown to give you a powerful takeoff.