Can anyone here dunk a basketball?

n4styn4t3

n4styn4t3

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I'm trying to improve my vertical leap, so if anyone has any good exercises do share. Also just curious to see who can dunk and how tall/old they are.
 
Can't spell it, but plyometrics (basically quick based jumping onto and over objects and quick reflections with medicine balls) is the best method for improving your verticle leap

Squating will give you leg power....but not explosiveness like plyometrics.

And yep, I can dunk. 5'11, 240ish.

Now....I can't just jump in the air standing straight or do anything special with it...
 
I used to be able to a few years back before my knee and back gave up on me.,,,but then again, Im 6'5" so that helped ;)
 
I can but I was trained by DII basketball and it was easier because I'm 6'8. Just work on your calves and you'll jump a lot higher in no time.
 
I'm 6'5", too. When I was 20, I could throw it down with one hand, two hands, even reverse-dunk. Now I'm 43, and I got winded typing that last sentence. OK, it's not that bad, but it's safe to say my dunking days are pretty much behind me.
 
I am close i.e. somedays I do, somedays I don't. I am 6'3 about 235 lbs. I noticed I get more vertical as I work my abs and quads. Note I go off one leg as you continue momentum vs going off two feet.
 
I used to enter dunk contests in high school.. reverse, bounce 360, leaning kiss the rim, etc etc.
But (and this is a big butt) that was 16 years and 80 pounds ago. I have been dieting and exercising a lot lately, with the intent on being able to play in a men's league next winter. I've already lost 30lbs and am looking for another 30 by New Year's. So, current stats: 6'2" and 238lbs, and I am sooooo close to dunking for the first time in 5 years I can taste it :)

To answer your question, OP, I got my legs strong by riding my bike EVERYWHERE when I was 12-15 years old. I raced BMX bikes here in Ohio, so I was always riding, probably 20 miles a day, every day. Needless to say, my calves were strong!
 
I'm 6'6" and 32. I haven't played since my college days but I was able to dunk in the 8th grade. I can still dunk, but not like I used to.

The best exercises are seated leg raises and high-knee running. Those will help with explosiveness. Stay away from squats, it's too easy to injure your knee. I injured mine in high school doing squats during off-season. If you decide to do leg presses on a nautilus machine keep the weight reasonable. You don't want to get your legs bulky. keeping them flexible is the way to go. Get too bulky and you can risk hamstring injuries among other things.

A drill that can help jumping endurance is the Mikan drill. It's a lay-up drill, but it can really help your jumping endurance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYUVMGDL1rI
 
Unless a pack of rapid wolverines were chasing me, and even then its debatable, I can't dunk. Give me one of those kiddie hoops and I'll throw down like LeBron. Until then hell no. I'm maybe 5'9.

Way back in middle school when we had to play basketball, I was the kid sitting in the back court minding his own business. Occasionally the ball was thrown to me, but when that happened I would instantly throw it to someone else. Any other sport I am fine but basketball, hell no.
 
[quote name='GuilewasNK']
A drill that can help jumping endurance is the Mikan drill. It's a lay-up drill, but it can really help your jumping endurance.[/QUOTE]

+1 for the Mikan drill reference! I still do that drill every time I warm up. It gets my "inside game" arms warmed up like nothing else!
 
I'm 6'4" 240 and 30 years old. I have bad ankles and my knees get sore after a couple of good jumps but if the stars are aligned I can still dunk. I was once told that eating turkey breast helped (I'm just repeating what I heard). But do calf raises of a raised platform (not too high) with dumbells in your hands.
 
improve_vertical_leap.jpg


Can't go wrong with Strength!
 
Ten years ago, I could take off with either foot or off a drop step and dunk with one or two hands. Fast forward ten years and about 80 pounds, and the only thing I'm dunkin is donuts. I'm 6'4 and 28.

As far as getting in shape to dunk, I'd second the Strength shoe reference above. I trained with them and they definitely improved my vertical. Plyometric training and box jumps will help as well. Also, work out your abs and core muscles. Having a weak midsection will hinder your jumping.
 
honestly, if you're nowhere near dunking now, working out won't help. Now if you're maybe an inch or two away, some simple calf workouts can help you get that extra inch or so.

im 6'2 about 220 and i can dunk once in a great while.
lol
 
[quote name='GuilewasNK']I'm 6'6" and 32. I haven't played since my college days but I was able to dunk in the 8th grade. I can still dunk, but not like I used to.

The best exercises are seated leg raises and high-knee running. Those will help with explosiveness. Stay away from squats, it's too easy to injure your knee. I injured mine in high school doing squats during off-season. If you decide to do leg presses on a nautilus machine keep the weight reasonable. You don't want to get your legs bulky. keeping them flexible is the way to go. Get too bulky and you can risk hamstring injuries among other things.

A drill that can help jumping endurance is the Mikan drill. It's a lay-up drill, but it can really help your jumping endurance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYUVMGDL1rI[/QUOTE]
I think Guile is spot on. Bulking up through squats is not the key and will likely actually hinder you. If you are going to do any bulking up, I would do calf raises (seated or standing). When developing the leg muscles, I would also recommend glucosamine for your joints. Other than that, nothing is going to get you there except actually doing it. So you have to work your way up to jumping high by jumping as high as you can, then a little more and so on. To do this, like Guile suggested, Mikan is one great workout that will train your muscles. Another one is box jumping to gradually higher levels.

To summarize, I think the key is Mikan drills and plyometrics/box jumping. If you need additional help, you might want to look at calf raises and glucosamine supplements (helps repair and strengthen joint cartilage).
 
What the hell? Where did all these tall mofos come from?

I'm 5'6". I can barely touch the bottom of the net.
 
I can dunk on my nephews basketball hoop. Well, I better be able to. The hoop is only...what? 5 feet off the ground or something?
 
[quote name='n4styn4t3']Trying the Mikan drill. Harder than that guy makes it look if you're bad with your off hand.[/QUOTE]


The Mikan drill is great for developing your weak hand. I remember during lay-up drills in high school and college that people still tended to use their dominant hand on the left side (for right-handed people) and I couldn't help thinking it was a waste to do that.
 
i could off of a well timed lob and im 5,9

cant really palm the ball though, if i could i wouldnt need anyone to throw it to me
 
Hmm, this is just the sort of thing I was wondering about. I'm 5'10" and when I first started going to the gym two years ago dunking was lower body goal. However I basically did leg strength training and didn't see any increase in my jumping height. As of right now I can barely touch the backboard on the hoops at a nearby park (a good 4-inches short of the rim).

Of course I sprained my right ankle bad both this and last summer and haven't been able to do any jumping or calf exercises for several months each year.

That said, there's some good advice in here I'll have to try.
 
Bump.. I think I need about another 1-3 inches in like 3 months (bball is in like november). I tried today and I grabbed rim easy, but I still need to put the ball in the hoop.

I've been thinking about stuff to do... Running hills? I was thinking squats, but that seems to be negatively looked upon by most of you guys. I also heard from someone at the gym that doing pull ups (palms facing forward) will help you gain more momentum when you're trying to get up. That's the only time I've heard anyone mention that though. It sounds logical, but the fact that I can do like 3 pull ups probably won't help me in the long run even if it is true.

I keep dreaming about getting my 2 minutes of playing time during the season and absolutley posterizing some kid. :lol:
 
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