How to Dunk a Basketball
June 25th 2011

The Dunk is an astonishing move that never fails to impress in a game of basketball.

Dunking is something that basketball enthusiasts should consider learning if they haven't mastered this skill yet.

If you're an enthusiast of the NBA dunking competition, you might have seen the top dunkers or even inspired to improve your dunking.

Keep up to date with the best in the world and record and playback their technique for elevation and the hoop slam.

Step by Step


Enhance your jump. Do plyometrics and squats to increase the strength and elasticity of your vertical leap. To enhance your explosiveness do 50 to 100 reps of calf raises.


Other groups of muscles you should strengthen: Quads (they extend the knee), hams, glutes (they extend the hips) and calves which flex the ankles.


Improving your flexibility: Tight hams strings, won’t let you extend your knee to its full potential so stretch your hams as well as your hips to allow full extension when you dunk. Run stairs to improve all of these.


Use cushioned shoes to break your landing. Practice jumping routines and run up and touch the rim, the higher you can get your hand up and over, the more you’ll be able to dunk.


Use a larger ball to practice handling. When handling the regular sized basketball, you’ll feel like it’s much more manageable. Even players with large hands who can grip the ball with a one hand grip with loose grip when dunking so practice inertia techniques.


Lower your Basket. If you have an adjustable basket, lower the base tube to get a feel for dunking, then increase it gradually to improve your dunking. Run fast while dribbling then take your allowed two steps to while gripping the ball, drive the ball towards the rim and through the hoop.

Jump between one or both feet and see which gets you the most elevation.


Practice the reverse Dunk. Move onto the reverse dunk once you’ve mastered the regular dunk. Practice not hanging onto the rim, if you’re heavy you might break it form the back board. In games this isn’t allowed unless there’s danger of injuring someone below you during a dunk.


Keep at it. Don’t give up easily, your abilities will only develop if you keep practicing. Touch the back board as a warm up routine and routinely make changes to your jumping style, whichever you feel makes you lift off the ground with a pounce, everyone has their own comfort level



  Tips



If you’re over weight, doing these exercises will mould your body to jump higher and be more explosive, while building muscle you’ll lose the weight, the more you lose, the higher your chances are to jump higher and dunk harder.


Look at online videos of short basketball players who can dunk, this will motivate you to know that even if you are average sized, you can dunk.


Nate Robinson, Michael Jordan, Derrick Rose, Kobe Bryant, Jason Richardson, Desmond Mason, Baron Davis, Gerald Wallace, Gerald Green, Dwight Howard, Dominique Wilkins, Vince Carter, Dwyane Wade, Clyde "The Glide" Drexler, Blake Griffin, Charles Barkley, Tracy Mcgrady, Wilt Chamberlain etc.




Notes



•Avoid keeping your fingers on the rim when dunking if you do not hve a firm grip, you could send your body backwards and cause serious injury.

•Don’t over train your muscles, change up the exercise routine, and surprise your body with different supporting muscle work outs to increase muscle growth.

•Have someone around when you’re starting off, if you hurt yourself badly, you’ll have someone to call an ambulance.



Join our Mailing List Today!