What factors come into the vertical jump equation?

Millions of athletes make the goal to improve their vertical jump. Vertical leaping ability is vital in many major sports, especially basketball and football. It is often one of the major two measuring tools in determining an individuals athleticism. ( the other is speed, usually through the 40 yard dash) In basketball, there is no more impressive play than a game changing dunk. Unfortunately, lots of people are born without the size to be able to dunk without some serious training. So what factors come into vertical jump?

Height and Length
This is the most obvious one. Tall people can usually dunk without much effort. This is simply because they require less of a vertical to reach the rim. Long arms also can aid lessening the need for a vertical. However, taller people are often anatomically less coordinated that average or shorter athletes, and this significantly lowers jumping ability. So while a 6 foot 7 athlete may be able to dunk and a 5 11 athlete may not, the shorter athlete could have a vertical jump that is much greater

To Be Continued...