The Truth About Air Alert
IMPORTANT: To read our review of the #1 jump program, click here.
Author/Creator:
- TMT Sports
Program Price:
- $25 plus shipping & handling ($5 US/Canada)
Bonuses:
- 1 pair of Court Controllers™
- This is a device worn on the face to improve
dribbling by preventing you from looking down.
Guarantee:
- Jump 8 to 14 inches higher in 15 weeks or get a full refund.
What You Get:
- Air Alert training DVD (33 mins) – in both English and Spanish.
- Air Alert training manual (43 pages).
- Air Alert workout chart.
- Air Alert Advanced workout chart.
- Air Alert progress & measurement charts.
- Wei-Wu-Wei focus program.
- 1 pair of Court Controllers™
Program Review:
Air Alert touts itself as being the best vertical jump program on the planet.
This is a pretty big statement, considering that many athletes, coaches and trainers do not like the program.
So, does it work or not?
Read on to find out the truth…
The History Of Air Alert
Air Alert is the oldest vertical jump program on the market.
The first version of the program (Air Alert I), was created in 1991 by TMT sports.
The program was hugely successful and became extremely popular to athletes around the world.
The primary reason is because it was the first program of its kind, and it also guaranteed that you would increase your vertical jump by 8-14 inches or you would get your money back.
Several upgrades followed over the years: Air Alert 2, Air Alert 3, and the latest version is Air Alert 4.
Does Air Alert Work?
I will get straight to the point.
For most intermediate to advanced athletes, Air Alert may not work to increase your vertical jump.
However, it may work if you have little or no vertical jump training experience.
5 Reasons Why Air Alert May Not Work For You
1. Lack of weight training
- The Air Alert program relies primarily on simple bodyweight exercises i.e. no weight training is included in the program.
- This is very outdated, considering science has proven the effectiveness of weight training, which is training method of choice for top high school, college, and pro athletes.
2. Leads to overtraining
- The Air Alert program tells you to do countless repetitions of exercises, claiming that this leads to muscle memory.
- This is supposed to make your body create a ‘habit’ of jumping, and thereby jump higher.
- This sounds great in theory, but it’s actually a very ineffective method of training, because it is a surefire recipe for overtraining.
3. Questionable Guarantee
- We believe that the only people Air Alert may work for are newbie athletes who have little or no experience in vertical jump training.
- Honestly, almost any kind of training will improve the vertical jump of a newbie, because their muscles are still underdeveloped.
- That being said, it is still not accurate to claim that the program will increase the vertical jumps of ALL athletes that use it by a minimum of 8-14 inches.
- You cannot experience such gains in your vertical leap without improving your strength (weight training) and speed (plyometrics).
4. Lack of customization
- Air Alert has very little customization and is a one-size-fits-all program.
- No two athletes are the same, and the inability to customize the workouts to your specific needs is NOT what you want in a vertical jump program.
5. Questionable Endorsements
- Air Alert is endorsed by two NBA players: Baron Davis and Larry Hughes.
- Honestly, we find it hard to believe that 2 NBA players, who have access to the best strength and conditioning coaches in the world, would still be performing repetitive body weight exercises.
- Maybe they used air alert when they were in elementary/high school, but it’s hard to believe that they still use it today.
Conclusion
Despite several setbacks, Air Alert has a few good points.
For one, it is very affordable ($25). The package you receive in the mail is also very well put together.
However, this does not mean that you should get the program.
I personally used Air Alert 2 when I was 16 years old in high school, and it resulted in a serious knee injury that made me miss a whole season of basketball.
Several other athletes have complained of the same injuries.
We DO NOT recommend the Air Alert vertical jump program.
Instead, get our #1 ranked vertical jump program by clicking here.
This solid program is scientifically proven to make you jump at least 10 inches higher because it employs a multi-faceted approach to training.
Have You Used Air Alert Before?
If you have trained with Air Alert before, what kind of results did you see?
We would love to know your thoughts because your input will help others make a better, more informed decision.
Please share your experiences by leaving a comment below:
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July 10, 2010 at 5:47 pm
Hey Dan I’m kinda similar to Jake but I’m about 5’4, 135 pounds and I currently doing AA a and nd I’m on my sixth week so far I’ve gained 4 inches in 5 weeks which im pretty happy about and im right on pace my vert went from a 17 to 21″. Saying that I will be done AA by September 19 and after that date I only have 13 weeks to train for my next basketball season and I’ve never had any jumping experince until I did AA which I am doing right now. Now for people like me do you know a certain average of how many inches people gain from AA. Oh and after I’m done AA I will be doing Jump Manual since I heard it gives people great results fast and I only have 13 weeks left to train because I wanna be ready for my senior years and get noticed and scholarship from any NCAA Division one team. And I’ve heard you had a great experince with it to.
Reply
July 15, 2010 at 3:03 pm
Hey Robert. I just replied your same questions in the other comment you left.
July 10, 2011 at 11:14 pm
Hey Dan i was wondering the diffrence between aa 2 and aa4 i have 2 and idk if i will gain because of knee injuries ive been hearing. Anyway will it still give me the same amout of vert and will it work?
July 12, 2011 at 2:15 pm
Hey John. AA 4 is very similar to AA2, except that there are a couple of new exercises and a much lower training volume (lower sets and reps). They did this because there were a lot of complaints about injuries and overtraining from Air Alert 2. I had a very bad experience with AA2, where I injured my knees, so I haven’t done Air Alert 4. I don’t recommend Air Alert 2 for that reason. If I was in your shoes, I’d follow the Jump Manual instead. It had proven to work for many athletes, and it is a great program. Hope this helps.
October 16, 2010 at 1:53 pm
Hey guys,
air alert does work..
June 8, 2011 at 5:24 pm
Air alert does work for sure, I was already a decent leaper, but after about my 9th week, it felt like someone had springs in my legs…for real.. I couldn’t believe how explosive my vertical felt…I would stop at random courts, get out of my car and just dunk around cuz I could
when people were standing around… but word to the wise, you have to keep up with it, I quit a few weeks before the end and in a very short amount of time, lost all that I had gained.
August 16, 2012 at 10:48 am
hey. i did air alert 2 as a junior in high school and saw some pretty great results. i went from being able to run and jump off of 1 foot to touch the rim to being able to stand under the hoop take 1 step and hang with 2 hands off of 2 feet. on the day when my legs were the most explosive the hoop literally looked low to me. i am now 31 years old and just started air alert 4. i gained 4 inches in the first 4 weeks, but got into the habbit of testing my legs almost every day. i didn’t see any results from week 5 and my legs were spent. i made my self rest for a full 48 hours and then played some pickup games one night. i started week 6 the next day and my legs feel stronger than ever. i won’t test my legs again until the week 8 rest week, but i am very optimistic. my legs are stronger, my step is quicker and my game is the best it has been in 10 years. i love air alert, but i know that you will hurt yourself if you overdue it on your rest days. do the program as directed, rest on your rest days and play ball once a week and you’ll have results without injury.
July 11, 2010 at 10:27 pm
Hey Dan I’m kinda similar to Jake but I’m about 5’4, 135 pounds and I currently doing AA a and nd I’m on my sixth week so far I’ve gained 4 inches in 5 weeks which im pretty happy about and im right on pace my vert went from a 17 to 21″. Saying that I will be done AA by September 19 and after that date I only have 13 weeks to train for my next basketball season and I’ve never had any jumping experince until I did AA which I am doing right now. Now for people like me do you know a certain average of how many inches people gain from AA. Oh and after I’m done AA I will be doing Jump Manual since I heard it gives people great results fast and I only have 13 weeks left to train because I wanna be ready for my senior years and get noticed and scholarship from any NCAA Division one team. And I’ve heard you had a great experince with it to.
October 4, 2010 at 9:11 pm
hey i started air alert 2 today and i was wondering if you can do any other exercises for legs suchs as calf rasies on the days u have off. FOR example if i do odds, mon, wed, fri, can i do calf rasies on tues and thurs? or should i just rest..thanks bro
October 5, 2010 at 1:25 pm
Why Air Alert 2? If you are going to do an Air Alert program, I highly recommend you do the latest one – Air Alert 4. Air Alert 2 is really bad for your body (and knees). It has too many sets and reps, and I hurt my knees badly doing the program. But if you have to do it, I would recommend you do NOTHING on your rest days. Just rest.
July 19, 2010 at 6:46 pm
hey dan, do you know Jacob’s phone number so I can contact him to talk about my goals he says its on his website but i can’t find it.
July 30, 2010 at 2:39 pm
Hey Feden. He actually uses Skype. Just look along the right hand column of his site and you’ll see his Skype contact info.
August 11, 2010 at 9:38 pm
hey Dan do you know like the average of what people can gain in 3 full months of the jump maual traing program. I know that everybody is diffrent but if you know could you please tell me. I know that everybodys diffrent but i would like to know a certain average of what people gain in 3 months.
August 11, 2010 at 9:55 pm
also Dan how long does it take to complete a whole day workout as well for the jump manual?
August 11, 2010 at 10:04 pm
I have a question dan is it 100 percent safe the order the jump manual online because it requires your credit or debit card the number if you are giong to order how do i know if the person taking the money of out bank wont take more then the ordered price?
August 16, 2010 at 6:45 pm
Hi Dan I was wondering if you can help me out ok so im 14 years of age, 5’5 and 135 pounds. Now the jump manual is mostly a weight lifting program right and the are also weight room alternatives if you dont want to do the weight lifting portion of the program. I have 2 questions now does the weight room alternatives still have the same guarantee (gain 10 inches in 12 weeks) as the weight lifting portion of the program or do you gain less results by not doing the weight lifting portion. My second question is does weight lifting make you shorter? thans Dan Please reply ASAP thanks for your help.
August 16, 2010 at 10:05 pm
Hey Kyle. To answer your first question, yes, the same guarantee applies with the weight room alternative. As for whether weight lifting makes you short, the answer is NO. This is one of those myths that nobody knows where it came from, but it’s not true. Unless you are lifting like REALLY heavy weights, it should not affect your growth at all.
August 16, 2010 at 10:18 pm
thanks Dan i really appreciate your answer to my question i just have another thing to ask do you know how long it takes to complete a whole days workout.
August 17, 2010 at 5:09 pm
I got the AA2 booklet several years ago when I was at University – my VJ at the time was ok – 26-28 inches I guess. After following the AA program for 7-8 weeks I gave it up. I’d improved my vert maybe 1-2 inches and my legs were definitely stronger, plus my lateral quickness had improved. Overall I found it too repetitive, too tiring to do 5 days in a row like it says and it didn’t marry up with the advice from a personal trainer at my gym. It doesn’t give you time to build muscle. Repetition doesn’t build muscle. Nor are the exercises broad enough. 5 exercises wont make you jump higher. After years of playing ball, working out, discussing things with a personal trainer I play ball with, I’ve come to the conclusion that you have to take a holistic approach. You need strength training exercises like AA, but you also need weight training for your legs, flexibility, good core strength and plenty of rest.
So in conclusion, I’d say it’s only part of the larger picture to improving your vert.
August 20, 2010 at 12:20 am
well my name is luis osorio, i used air alert 3 when i was in 8th grade and im going to be a sophmore now. and im almost dunking. the only problem is that my knee is kinda messed up (nothing major i hope). but what should i use to get a little bit higher?
August 25, 2010 at 4:13 pm
Hey Luis. I’m happy you got some good results man! But I’m NOT happy about your knee. You should let it heal before trying to train again. When it recovers, I recommend you get the Jump Manual program.
August 30, 2010 at 8:05 pm
hey dan can you please tell how long it takes to complete a whole days workout?
August 31, 2010 at 3:38 pm
Hey Ryan. It’s really hard to say, because it depends on how much time you rest between sets and reps. Also, every week has different amounts of sets and reps.
November 29, 2011 at 12:05 am
It takes me between 20 to 50 minutes to get it done if I do the whole
work out and all the stretching before and after
September 3, 2010 at 9:37 pm
could you at least tell me how long it takes in the first 13 weeks of the program thanks.
September 12, 2010 at 1:56 pm
Dan, could you please tell me the excersises that are in the jump manual thank you
September 12, 2010 at 4:32 pm
Hey man. I can’t really do that coz it’s illegal. It’s copyrighted material.
September 29, 2010 at 5:12 am
Hey Dan, my name is Kacey. I’m 6’1 1/2, 165lbs and I’ve been playing volleyball for four years. I am 18 now, and have done some training to increase my vertical. My vertical right now is 24 inches. If I do a program like Air Alert, will it increase enough to warrant it. The only other training I have done is some plyometric and weight training at the gym. I go to the gym on a frequent basis, and mainly, I want to know if I should stick to the weights or try Ait Alert. I have tried it for the first time, and I found it to be too easy.
Thanks!
September 30, 2010 at 8:36 am
Hey Kacey. Since you already have experience with weight training and plyometrics, I don’t think Air Alert is a good choice for you. I’d go with the Jump Manual instead. Air Alert is usually good for beginners, but not for intermediate to advanced level athletes.
December 28, 2010 at 12:52 am
Hey Dan, im 6’5 280 and can grab rim. is there a program a big fella can do to start dunking
January 3, 2011 at 4:02 am
well ive been doing air alert 4 so far and have not experienced knee problems. when it gets cold my knees do hurt, not allot but in an annoying way, but ive had that for a while. but yea i do air alert on a soft rubber mat and my knees are fine.
January 5, 2011 at 5:50 pm
Hey, Dan I am 5’3″ and 13 years old. My knees are bad but I have not been playing basketball for a while so they are better. I am on my second week of air alert 3 and my hamstrings are really sore after the first day. I was wondering if you have to follow the air alert program as it says to if you want to see any results. I really want to increase my vertical can u please help me
January 16, 2011 at 1:55 am
Hey dan .. im 6’1 and i weight 175 and i can only touch rim.. i was wondering if you could give me the link to aa4.. and is it true that your not suppose to do other lower body workouts wile you in the proccess of aa.. like squating or defense of slides and all that lower body burning stuff..?
January 31, 2011 at 8:27 pm
I tried air alert 2 years ago(it was on a VHS tape) my friend who played on the volleyball team let me borrow it. I was about 5’9 at the time and on the jv basketball team and wanted to jump higher. I had noticeable results gaining about 4 inches in 5 or so weeks doing the program and was able to dunk at will. I quit when it started getting hard since I had already achieved my goal of dunking more easily.I would recommend the program since it worked for me but it does take dedication to stick with it after the 4th week. bottom line is you get out what you put into it like everything else in life.
February 9, 2011 at 1:16 am
For those of you complaining about bad knees, it’s either 1 of 3, 2 of 3, or all 3 things.
1. you’re using bad form
2. what are you performing the exercises on? cement, court, sand, grass, mats?
3. you don’t have a base strength. deadlifts and squats fix this problem
March 9, 2011 at 6:38 am
Hey, im 16 yrs old, 121 lbs., 5′ 7.5″. I was wondering if Air Alert 3 damages your knees. I dont want to take this program if it hurts me.
March 16, 2011 at 12:29 am
Ok this is what my deal is I am a senior at high school and run distance track and cross country. But looking to play basketball in college so I want to get a good vertical jump and be able to dunk. My legs are jacked but never really any jump training so I was wondering if this would be a good investment for me thanks also I am 5’11″ weighing 156lbs (all muscle lol)
Nick
March 27, 2011 at 11:45 pm
Hey dan,
i am in 8th grade,weigh185, have a
26 in vertical,and can barely touch the rim
what program would you reccomend for me
to get up to grabbing the rim and eventually dunking?
April 27, 2011 at 8:27 pm
Hi, I’m 15 and a sophmore in highschool, I am 6ft tall and weigh about 145lbs. I can basically hang on 10ft, but I want to be able to dunk before next bball season. so I have about a 30 in. vert now but I need at least another 4 inches. Should I do Air Alert 4? I have had basically no jump training and I have no current knee problems.
May 16, 2011 at 2:22 am
hi dan,
How do u know if ur a beginner or an intermediate? I’m 5′ 8 or 5’9 and i can just touche the backboard with my whole hand, also, i’m 115pounds so, would u recommend air alert 4? ( also i’ve played ball for 3 yrs, and soccer for 5yrs
May 16, 2011 at 2:23 am
*basketball
June 14, 2011 at 4:24 pm
hey dan am 24 years old about 73 kgs, do u think iam too old to start a vertical jump programme and start dunking…
June 15, 2011 at 2:43 am
Nope, I don’t believe that you can ever be too old to train! Besides, 24 is still young. You can definitely start a vj program and start dunking.
June 20, 2011 at 6:02 am
okay i think i am going to start right, away, i got air alert 3 for free online, i tried looking for jump manual for free, but cant seem to find it, and i see you are recommending it,and saying its a really good program, is there a way you could hook me up, please …
June 22, 2011 at 1:32 am
Hey PJ. I can’t hook you up with Jump Manual. That would be illegal
June 19, 2011 at 1:13 am
Hey ya Dan i jus really want to know if air alert works. i am already grabing rim. how many more inches do you think i need to do a two handed tomahawk dunk.
June 19, 2011 at 6:37 am
Hey Samuel. If you’re a beginner in vertical jump training, then Air Alert MIGHT work for you. I think you need about 6 more inches to do a 2 handed tomahawk. Instead of Air Alert, I highly recommend you get the Jump Manual. I believe that it’s the best program out now.
June 20, 2011 at 11:46 am
Hi dan when yu did air alert how many vert did you get from doing the program. and would i get 8-14 inches doing the program. And why do you think air alert is bad
June 22, 2011 at 1:31 am
Hey Curtis. I actually did Air Alert 2 back in the day and it really messed up my knees. I tried Air Alert 3 after I healed up but didn’t gain much (if at all). So I obviously didn’t do Air Alert 4. It seems to work for some beginners, but if you already have experience with vertical jump training, I doubt it will work for you.
July 14, 2011 at 7:18 pm
Dan, is Air Alert 1 a bad program? Will that one mess up your knees?
July 18, 2011 at 10:23 am
Hey Alex. Yes, it will…If you have to do Air Alert, get Air Alert 4. I personally prefer the Jump Manual though.
August 3, 2011 at 10:47 pm
Air alert definitely works! I am 6 foot i did alot of weight training such as weighted jump squats, leg press and weighted calf raises before AA, could already grab and hold on to the ring with ease. After only 5 weeks of air alert I could grab the ring two hand with no Run up easily. But I stopped after 5 weeks for some reason. Now I’m back into it again and am in week6, will complete all 15 weeks and come back
August 17, 2011 at 9:16 pm
Hey Dan, I have heard a lot of talk about Explosion vs. Endurance and that’s the reason AA doesn’t produce results. Well I’m a distance runner, and endurance is very important for my performance. So would you say it would be a good idea to try AA to help achieve my running goals?
August 22, 2011 at 3:24 pm
Hey Gerry. If you’re an endurance runner, I would still not attempt AA. I’d look for a more sport-specific program.
October 24, 2011 at 8:11 am
Hi there!
Few question about air alert, may be repeated but i’m lazy to read all the reply.. So, i think i should introduce more about myself first.
I’m 18, 170cm, 58kg. Vertical jump before aa was 27″, never done any jumping training before.
Now, i’m on week7 of aa3, but my vertical jump wasn’t improve much, almost none, only 2 inches.I was told that after week 6 i should gain an 6 inches improvement, but why aa seem din work much for me? Should I continue? And now i feel hard for the leaping, never on week 1 through 6, what happen to my leg?
Last and MOST important question, can i dunk with my height(170cm), or i should say can i dunk if i succeed aa with my 170cm body?
Thank1! (please excuse my poor english)
November 2, 2011 at 10:29 pm
Hey guys, I have completed 15 weeks of AA3 training and have rested for almost 4 weeks now. Before I started the program, I was looking for results and feedbacks of people who’s completed the program, but couldn’t find any, and now I know it’s because not many people can keep it up for the whole 15 weeks. So now that I’ve done it, I will give it a full review.
The program:
During the 15 weeks, I felt like giving up countless times due to the intensity of it, the first 6 weeks are ok but once the no. of leap ups reached 50, it was hell!! I felt like dying everytime I trained, and just when I thought I can never get use to this, in week 12 the no. of leap ups increased to 75!!! So I guess what I’m saying is you have to keep yourself very motivated to have the slightest chance of completing this program. I personally found some tricks that helped me from giving up, might not work for everyone but worked for me. Basically after week 7 I felt like giving up and its because the thought of “i gotta do AA today” puts so much fear into my head. But I realize something, once I get outside the house and start the training, I have never not completed it, so instead of forcing myself to train, I tell myself “just go outside and you can consider today’s training completed” after that I took it a set further and realize everytime I put on my shoes, I have never not completed the training, so on the day that I have to train, I just clear my head and put on my sports shoes quickly an after that I start telling myself “according to previous stats you have a 100% chance of completing today’s training and I start celebrating in my head.”
The injuries:
After about 5 weeks, my aquilis tendent started to hurt, but i have always had this problem when ever the training is too hard. After 8-9 weeks, my knees started hurting, a pain I’ve never felt before, I was starting to worry. After watching the air alert instructional video again I started wearing shoes with alot of support and made sure that I always trained on a slightly soft surface like grass or carpet. This might have slowed down the injury. Now I feel constant pain in both my knees and aquillis tendents, the pain is not intense and does not affect my game as it goes away after a bit of a warm up, but I feel like this could be Long term and could affect me when I’m old.
Results:
The results of AA are pretty noticeable, the maximum height of my vertical increased about 6-8 inches, but the best part is I am able to jump quicker and especially when grabbing rebounds, the jumps which you don’t get a chance to fully bend down, the small jumps, are much higher and quicker. Speed wise, this training did next to nothing for sprinting, which makes sence since it does not train the hamstrings, but I feel alot quicker on the court in terms of changing directions and crossing over people. So I guess the results are good but not amazing. I thought I would be windmilling and doing underlegs off ally oops but no, I can bearly dunk.
Suggestion
My suggestion is do the program for 5-6 weeks, by then you will see alot of gain without the injuries, or choose a different program. But If you decide to do AA, make sure you wear Bball shoes and plenty of support and always do it on a soft surface!!!!
November 3, 2011 at 9:37 am
Thanks for the excellent review Jason!
November 21, 2011 at 10:57 pm
Personaly this system has worked out well for me I am in middle school and in 3 weeks my vertical went from a 23 inch to 25 inc. Vertical I would recommend this to young athilites
December 14, 2011 at 4:43 pm
i used aa 1 during the summer when i was 12 it helped a lot not just jumping i gain 7 inches but i quit in the 10th week i was faster at running and skate it was good but not amazing
January 15, 2012 at 2:38 pm
I did Air Alert 4 for about 10 weeks but then i got food poisoning and had to stop the program. I wasn’t able to start off where i left off and i tried lower weeks but it was too hard. the thing is that i got a lot faster but my vertical leap only went up from 24″ to 28″. I would like an opinion on whether or not to start the program again after a 3 month break.
Reply
January 16, 2012 at 7:31 pm
Hey Dan .I was wondering if i should start vertical training. I am a freshman and do not want to spurt any natural vertical growth thanks
January 18, 2012 at 1:12 am
Hey Jeff. Yes, you can start vertical jump training now, and it will NOT stunt your growth.
January 21, 2012 at 2:48 pm
Hey air alert works in just under a month I gaind about 15 inch in my verdical.. That said I have also been goin to ball practice
February 19, 2012 at 1:30 pm
Hey dan, i just ordered AA and i want to know where the best place to do it is. Eg, cement, gravel, grass, asphalt amd also is it ok if i am on the air alert 4 program while i am jn tge middle of a basketball season im 6′ and 150 lbs i can only get back iron :/. Do you think this program will work for me?
March 20, 2012 at 5:58 am
Hi, im 22yrs old, 5’6” my current verticalis 33inch but i never try to use any kind of vertical exercise. it is possible for me to gain more inch if ill try the AA???
April 28, 2012 at 1:08 am
hey Dan can u plzz make a review for vertical jump formula by coach taylor allan. it seems to be working but really slowly. like an inch..inch and a half after 2-2.5weeks. but good thing is that it improves yr relative strength as well as gives u rapid speed on the court. the gains for jumping ability comes but takes at least an hours 4days a week. But i enjoy it the training is fun does not require tooo much equipment…and luvvv taylor allan awsome trainer knows his stuff. but really want yr opinion on it. ive got a strong feeling vjf will be right behind jump bible and jump manual
April 17, 2013 at 12:19 am
Hey Dan, I’m 13, 5’1″, about 90lbs, and I can easily touch net. Please, please answer me this:
should I do Air Alert III?? I really, really want to get close to the rim. I don’t have any jump training experience, and if I do the program, I plan on doing the exercises indoors on a very cushioned carpet flooring. I DO NOT want to injure my self! Thanks for your time!