The slam dunk is one of the greatest displays of athletic power in sports.
The dunk is an artistic display of speed, flexibility, power, and explosiveness.
It is every basketball player’s dream to be able to dunk…
Nothing gets a crowd crazy and electrified like a good-ol dunk during a basketball game, whether it’s a pickup game or the NBA finals.
How To Dunk A Basketball In 4 Simple Steps.
1. Increase your vertical leap
The first thing you need to do if you want to dunk is to increase your vertical leap.
You can do this by doing exercises that make you jump higher and/or by following a good
vertical jump program
As a rule of thumb, you want to be able to get your whole hand above the rim in order to dunk.
Every athlete varies in height and limb length, so you need to figure out how many inches you need to add to your vertical before you can get your whole hand above the rim.
2. Improve your flexibility
This goes hand-in-hand with increasing your vertical jump.
If you increase muscle flexibility and elasticity, you will be able to jump higher.
In fact, if you currently don’t have good flexibility, you increase your vertical jump by simply stretching more.
Stretching also improves the range of motion of your joints, helping you prevent injuries.
Stretch your whole body, but pay special emphasis on stretching your lower back, hips, quadricep muscles (thighs), hamstrings, and calves.
Check out these great tutorials on how to stretch the muscles mentioned above:
3. Improve your grip strength
Increasing your grip strength will do wonders for your dunking ability, especially if you can’t touch your whole hand above the rim when you jump.
hand gripper
The simplest (and cheapest) way to increase your grip strength is to squeeze a WET towel.
Yup, just get the towel wet and squeeze away!
You can also improve your grip strength by buying hand grippers
4. Master the mechanics of dunking
A high vertical jump is not enough when it comes to dunking.
I’m sure you know many athletes who can jump really high but cannot dunk very well, often missing most of their dunks.
On the other hand, there are many athletes who can barely get their hands above the rim but can consistently dunk the ball successfully.
This is because they have mastered the mechanics of dunking.
Before we get to the mechanics, let’s discuss the 2 ways of dunking.
- Single Leg Takeoff
- Double Leg Takeoff
Most dunkers can dunk using both takeoffs, but they always have a preference.
For example, Michael Jordan and LeBron James are more single leg takeoff dunkers while Dwight Howard and Nate Robinson are more of double leg takeoff dunkers.
Dunk Mechanics
a) Single Leg Takeoff
- Speed dribble towards the basket, then take the allowed 2 steps while palming the ball in your dunking hand.
- Jump as high as you can after your second step, extend your arm towards the rim and stuff the ball through the net
- Make sure you land safely by landing softly on your feet.
- Run back for defense! (unless you pull of a 360 between-the-leg dunk whereby your coach will run on the court and celebrate with you)
b) Double Leg Takeoff
- Speed dribble toward the basket and jump-stop (plant both feet on the ground) about 1 foot away from the rim.
- Grip the ball with both hands and extend your arms towards the basket, jumping as high as you can.
- Stuff the ball through the net with both hands.
- Make sure you land safely by landing softly on your feet.
Tips and Tricks
- Practice on an adjustable height basket and start on a lower hoop and gradually increase height.
- Dunk a smaller ball first and slowly progress to the basketball as you become more proficient at dunking e.g. tennis ball – > volleyball -> basketball
- Practice dunking with one hand first. When you get it down, practice dunking with two hands.
- Watch your favorite NBA players dunk and try to notice how they do it ; how do they approach the rim? how far out to they begin their jump? Noticing these details will help you dunk better.
221 Responses to “How To Dunk”
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May 29th, 2009 at 4:10 am
Does squeezing a tennis ball repetitively improve one’s grip strength the same way?
May 29th, 2009 at 10:35 am
Yep, squeezing a tennis ball will also improve your grip strength.
May 29th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
What else can you use to make your grip better?
May 29th, 2009 at 4:02 pm
I use to try and palm a basketball for as long as i could mostly when i was walking to a court to go play and now a can palm most basketball easy
May 30th, 2009 at 10:27 am
i can palm the ball jus not for long
i need more grip i need 2 be able 2 palm it on when going up to the hoop and be able 2 palm it quickly without it falling
June 1st, 2009 at 2:24 pm
What if I have small hands? Is it still possible to be able to palm a basketball?
June 11th, 2009 at 10:33 am
look i’m 13 years old and i can get my whole hand over the ring of ten foot (whoo) the only problem is i cant grip the ball will these tips actually work
P.S. im not even 5 foot 11 (it is possible!)
June 13th, 2009 at 6:23 pm
How many inches above rim do you need to be to dunk? I can palm the ball really good, I have huge hands.
June 16th, 2009 at 11:20 am
Hi! I like your srticle and I would like very much to read some more information on this issue. Will you post some more?
June 19th, 2009 at 7:46 pm
I’m 15 years old, at 5’11″ and I can get rim with a running start and grab rim with one hand And I usually jump 3ft away from the rim! and I can get rim with one foot! And I have dunked in full court pick up game on a break away but ever since then I’ve bearly dunk the ball now! I think I’m missing somthing, and I can palm a ball, I feel like I’m missing somthing! Email me if sombody knows: colbybean26@yahoo.com
June 20th, 2009 at 7:08 am
I’m fourteen years old and I’m barely trying to improve my vertical jump for football, and I was wondering if anybody had any suggestions on what my proper weight I should lift for squats. I’m 5’7 and weigh 130lbs and I don’t want to affect my growth development. Thanks for the help, I gratefully appreciate it.
June 23rd, 2009 at 4:24 am
Hey Carlos. Just start really light and slowly increase the weight you squat. A good measure is to increase the weight every week. It will not affect you’re growth development.
June 22nd, 2009 at 10:22 am
cheers
p.s i love basketball!!!!!
July 2nd, 2009 at 5:00 pm
I was wondering if theres any exercises you can do at home to increase your vertical jump! Email me or post here if there is thorsonjustin@yahoo.com! Im 13 at 6′ 1″ but cant jump at all will this really help me? Thank you for your time!
July 7th, 2009 at 12:56 am
Plaese introduc complete set of vertical leap training DVD which I cam pucsh in Autralia.
July 11th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
im 5 foot 1 and i wanna posibly dunk even if i am short how can i do that
July 12th, 2009 at 1:32 am
I’m 13 and 166cm (5,6) and can touch the rim. But i hav a problem of always jumping to early. How do i fix this?
Thanks,
Lee.
July 14th, 2009 at 1:26 am
im 5 11 and my vertical is 24” and i still cant dunk i cant even touchthe rim
July 16th, 2009 at 5:47 am
i dont know wat my vert. is but i can dunk i just wanna do tricks with my dunks
July 16th, 2009 at 11:32 pm
hi every time i dunk my knee busts and really hurts i think its a strength thing could u recomend a exersice to improve my strength in that area
July 19th, 2009 at 7:11 pm
Wsup Michael. I also used to have bad knees. The #1 thing I can recommend for you to do is to get the Jumpsoles + proprioceptors. They will help strengthen your knee, ankles, feet, and all your stabilizer muscles. This will help with all injuries related to explosive movements.
July 22nd, 2009 at 6:52 am
To jump higher use a pair of basketball shoes with soles thicker under the foot’s ball than they are under the foot’s heel. These thicknesses are such that the sole forms a surface supporting the user’s foot that has a negative angle of about 3 1/2 degrees. The achillies tendon is at its strongest when it is stretched to this point. This is a human adaptation to make it easier to transverse inclined surfaces. Instant
increases with more to follow.
July 23rd, 2009 at 2:36 am
Im 6’2
I need help to explode and a good/quick weight training plan bcuz i got some ball tournies to hit up this season
I could get up at the rim easy just can’t throw down really
What you recommend ?
get at me about it
pce
July 23rd, 2009 at 1:52 pm
ok im having trouble with my feet i can jump just fine but when i land my feet feel a shock any ideas i can do to fix this thanks for the help
July 25th, 2009 at 8:31 am
Hey Im pretty tall for my age but I’m only 5′ 9″. Where can I find the correct form to jump?
July 25th, 2009 at 11:48 am
i am 13years old 118lb and 5,3 and i nead to inprove my vertical jumpand i nead to no how mush to lift wen doing squats idont nead to dunk dut at least jump 5inch increason my vertical
July 27th, 2009 at 8:46 am
Hey whats up everyone.My vertical jump has improved heaps i am practicing the 360 slam dunk i can do a 180 dunk so i am almost there.
July 28th, 2009 at 7:05 am
Hey is there anything that can help me jump further ? Can you let me know peace =)
July 28th, 2009 at 11:16 am
Whats the fastest way to gain Inches to your Jump i can barley get rim lol just need help
July 31st, 2009 at 3:11 pm
I think this is a great guide but when jumping off one leg take two long strides it will help you jump higher .
August 4th, 2009 at 6:36 am
Does riding a bike make yo cafe get stronger?
August 7th, 2009 at 3:18 am
hi im 14 years old and im 5″10. i have a 30 inch vertical and can get my hand over the rim but my problem is that im not sure how to hold the ball? i jump off of 2 feet and usually catch the ball off the bounce. For some reason im not sure if im holding the ball right? any tips?? id like to be dunking by the time basketball season starts as well.
August 8th, 2009 at 3:57 am
Hi!
I love the game of Basketball, I’m a hard player, I’m competitive and everytime I improve my game I try to do it only for my self. I’m 5’7 and I would love, of course, to dunk the ball; I jump very well but I think I need more strength in my legs because I bravely touch the board and I always feel like I can do it better but I don’t get that far, when I shoot I feel that I jump good, when I go alone attaching the ring in transition I can make the Basket against almost everybody no matter the high or weight of the defender in front of me, but I would like to dunk that ball in transition and I would love to have the feeling of that: I guest my question is “WHAT EXERCISES EXACTLY DO I HAVE TO DO TO JUMP AS HIGH AS NEEDED TO DUNK THE BALL?”
If you can help me with this I will really appreciate it, it is like something I have always dreamed with. Thanks!
August 8th, 2009 at 7:41 pm
Wsup Juan. It’s great to see your competitiveness and desire to improve. For the ‘exact’ exercises you need to do, check out the ‘Jump Exercises’ section of the website.
August 20th, 2009 at 5:03 am
Alright, i’m 6’2, 17yrs old, 180lbs and Mexican, i don’t know if my vertical has something to do with my genetics, but i just really want to dunk badly… and before i culdn’t even touch rim i got my legs slightly stronger and can touch the rim now, slightly grab the rim only when i’m warmed up…. i’m like really slow, but i feel like i have good explosiveness when i go up for rebounds… i don’t know what you mean by good flexibility because i feel like i have pretty decent flexibility, i can touch my toes and I stretch most of the time on my legs… i don’t know if i should lose some weight or gain muscle but i think that’lll just slow me down even more…. i say i got about a 22inch or 23 inch vertical, i got about 22% body fat…. i have used jumpsoles which got me to touch rim, and i still use em but i don’t feel like i’m getting any higher, i used them in Jan. for like 2 weeks, and i started again this July and it’s been like 3 weeks but i feel like i’m at the same place i don’t jump any higheR, what should i do?
August 21st, 2009 at 4:11 am
Hey Im 5″8 and i can dunk on alley oops to the rim but i always get hung when i go up on a fast break how can i improve my explosion so i can dunk with ease. I currently use squats to improve it. do you believe that is the best way to go about improving my explosion to the rim?
August 23rd, 2009 at 5:12 am
yo, like most of you i love basketball i patent my game after kobe(best im the nba) in my opinion.
So here is the thing, im about 5’11″ i can get the rim some days and not others, i dont know why, i feel like i can and should be able to jump higher but dan, if u can tell me why i jump higher than some other days, and also tell me some excer. id really appritiate it man. thanx.
August 23rd, 2009 at 5:14 am
oh by the way email me at kobefan4_life@yahoo.com
August 25th, 2009 at 10:47 pm
Hi, i’m 14 years old and im 6’1 and i can grab the rim wwith a running start but i can’t throw it down, what do you reccomend I should do?
Thanks for your time.
August 25th, 2009 at 10:52 pm
By the way, my email is jaredclayton2121@hotmail..thanks man
August 26th, 2009 at 4:28 am
Hey im only 14 years old and im 5’8 i can hang on a rim but i look horible when i try to dunk lool. I dont know why this happens i think its because i still cant palm a ball or something do u kno why this happens?
August 29th, 2009 at 3:40 am
I’m not able to palm the ball, are there any tricks to helping me dunk better without being able to palm the ball?
August 30th, 2009 at 10:57 pm
hey i was reading some of the comments and if i do my jumpsoles program and my propriceptors and after i wieght lift on my legs i do those quad lifts …like when you sit on the end of the weight bench and lift up. And the i do hamstrings lifts. then i hold 20 pounds of wieghts over my head and do 30 reps of calf raises. and i was wondering if this would affect my growth in the future? im only 15 and 5-5 and havent hit my growth spurt yet. please comment back
August 31st, 2009 at 4:30 am
Hey Tyler. The answer is NO, it will not affect your growth in future. The rumor that lifting weights stunts growth is just that – A RUMOR. Lifting weights will not stunt growth.
August 31st, 2009 at 2:05 am
This is awesome.
Thanks guys!
September 2nd, 2009 at 3:11 pm
YOUR STUFF IS GOOD,YOU ARE VERY EXPERIENCED.THERE IS MORE TO YOU.
September 7th, 2009 at 2:02 pm
Hey I am 5’11 and 16 years old and i have been able to grab rim for about 2 years now. I jump rope everyday and lift arms and legs 3 times a week but it seems like i have reached a peak where I can’t improve my jump anymore. I am a junior and start on my high school’s varsity team and I really want to be able to dunk by the time the season starts. Do you know anything that can help me out?
September 8th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
If I can touch rim now will I be able to dunk by november
September 8th, 2009 at 11:00 pm
Hey Guys. I’m 5’8 and can jump about a foot off the ground. I can touch the rim and the back board but I can’t dunk. Are there any tips that anyone has to offer? Thanks.
September 8th, 2009 at 11:01 pm
Oh. By the way, I’m 13 years old.
September 21st, 2009 at 11:14 pm
HECK YA BABY my school is having a dunk comp. next week as a part of a Homecoming assembley…I can dunk pretty consistantly but it was all natural! im glad i found this article to more fully improve my dunking abilities! Hope it works!!!
September 24th, 2009 at 7:21 pm
Hi i’m 5’7 120 lbs. and can grab the rim. i was wondering what you would suggest to improve my vertical. i do alot of box jumps and stuff but i can’t squat very much because i have kinda bad knees.
thanks
September 30th, 2009 at 9:36 pm
how can i work out my cavs couse im kinda week eney tips
September 30th, 2009 at 9:38 pm
eney tips my cavs are low so i need help
October 1st, 2009 at 3:55 pm
It is a good program