What will get me over that hump so I can consistently dunk?

[Permodius]

There is this quadruple rim(It is a double rim with a flat plat under it for holding a net, which extends to the length of another double rim) at a park I always go to, to shoot around, play pickup games and such. It is the only rim that is of regulation height, and I can easily dunk on all the other rims, even do tricks and such. What makes me mad is to dunk on the quadruple rims I have to be having one of those days where I just jump higher. It's odd, it seems that only after resting for 3-4 days that I am able to dunk it on those rims. The dunks I do are nice clean ones too, border-line tomahawks, but I'm not really bringing it back. Then when I start playing basketball 5 or more days in a row, no matter how many times I try I just can't flush it on these rims. Is it more difficult to dunk it on these? Should I just rest more?

[Birmingham1955]

There is this quadruple rim(It is a double rim with a flat plat under it for holding a net, which extends to the length of another double rim) at a park I always go to, to shoot around, play pickup games and such. It is the only rim that is of regulation height, and I can easily dunk on all the other rims, even do tricks and such. What makes me mad is to dunk on the quadruple rims I have to be having one of those days where I just jump higher. It's odd, it seems that only after resting for 3-4 days that I am able to dunk it on those rims. The dunks I do are nice clean ones too, border-line tomahawks, but I'm not really bringing it back. Then when I start playing basketball 5 or more days in a row, no matter how many times I try I just can't flush it on these rims. Is it more difficult to dunk it on these? Should I just rest more?

You need to increase your vertical. From your description you get about 7-8 incehs over the rim. You need a minimum of 5 inches without ball to dunk it with ball, but it won't be consistent.

You need to increase your vertical that is really all that you can do, to be able to do it consistently.

[Swaggin916]

You need to be more than 5 inches. I was getting exactly 5 inches over the rim at my peak and there was no way I was putting in a dunk at any time. Even an oop I wouldn't have been able to put in with anything less than a perfect pass and it would have been more of a tap in than a dunk.Based off of what I have seen, 7-8 Inches is what you need to put it in off an oop on a mildly consistent basis... 10 is somewhat consistent, and 12+ you can probably do it 9 times out of 10. If you can touch 11 feet, you can catch an oop and finish easy.

To put in a dunk with a ball in your hand, 7-8 will be a rare dunk(You will get hung more often), 10 will be average consistency (You will put it off back rim a lot), and 12 will be good consistency. Pretty much, 11 feet is the magic number. So for me, I know 41 inches is my magic number.

To answer the OP's question, yes rest definitely helps. 2 days rest seems to be my magic number, and during the day you are going to play, if you just lay around day and just chill, you will probably have a good jumping day. I know for me that was the case. I was doing VJB and my last workout had been Thursday. I rested on Friday/Saturday and then on Sunday I sat around the house and watched Football all day. Sunday night, I went to the park and was jumping higher than I ever had in my life. Part of that was because my vertical was increasing from the VJB, but the next day, I couldn't get as high as I did the previous night... So yes rest definitely plays a factor. My friend just did the exact same thing as I did and got the same results... He had a great jumping night on Saturday after resting for Thurs/Fri and then just laying around all day chillin (He had a bad jumping night on Wednesday after he had played 3 days in a row).

[Birmingham1955]

You need to be more than 5 inches. I was getting exactly 5 inches over the rim at my peak and there was no way I was putting in a dunk at any time. Even an oop I wouldn't have been able to put in with anything less than a perfect pass and it would have been more of a tap in than a dunk.Based off of what I have seen, 7-8 Inches is what you need to put it in off an oop on a mildly consistent basis... 10 is somewhat consistent, and 12+ you can probably do it 9 times out of 10. If you can touch 11 feet, you can catch an oop and finish easy.

To put in a dunk with a ball in your hand, 7-8 will be a rare dunk(You will get hung more often), 10 will be average consistency (You will put it off back rim a lot), and 12 will be good consistency. Pretty much, 11 feet is the magic number. So for me, I know 41 inches is my magic number.

To answer the OP's question, yes rest definitely helps. 2 days rest seems to be my magic number, and during the day you are going to play, if you just lay around day and just chill, you will probably have a good jumping day. I know for me that was the case. I was doing VJB and my last workout had been Thursday. I rested on Friday/Saturday and then on Sunday I sat around the house and watched Football all day. Sunday night, I went to the park and was jumping higher than I ever had in my life. Part of that was because my vertical was increasing from the VJB, but the next day, I couldn't get as high as I did the previous night... So yes rest definitely plays a factor. My friend just did the exact same thing as I did and got the same results... He had a great jumping night on Saturday after resting for Thurs/Fri and then just laying around all day chillin (He had a bad jumping night on Wednesday after he had played 3 days in a row).

really so guys who can dunk consistently can reach an entire foot over rim. i didnt know it was that high

[Swaggin916]

really so guys who can dunk consistently can reach an entire foot over rim. i didnt know it was that high

Yea anybody you see legitimately throwing it down is up around that high without the ball... with the ball who knows how high they are getting... but it's probably a 2-3 inch decrease with a ball in your hand... that's my guesstimate... so if they are touching 11 feet without the ball they would be hitting 10'9-10'10 or so with a ball and yea that would be a dunk every time with 9-10 inches over the rim. Dunking in game is another story too. Many guys can throw it down pretty good in practice but in a game they don't seem to get good jumps. It happens all the time.

[Rake2204]

Just for the sake of throwing out personal experiences, my peak reach has usually hovered between 10'8'' and 10'10'' and I'm a pretty consistant game dunker. I'm not cramming on people in traffic every game, but with an opening, I can flush with confidence. So I say, Swaggin is mostly on the money, but I thought it'd be good to know that dunking can be functional and consistant if you're below that 11 foot mark. He is right in the fact that I cannot complete alley oops, but there's other factors that can help someone become a solid dunker with a lower reach. One of those factors (one I cannot claim) is large hands. If you can palm a rock (I can't) you'll be able to dunk with a slightly lower vert.

Overall, 10'7'' sounds like a pretty good goal.

[dwadefan11]

For Swaggin and anyone else to respond...
1. Do you like lunges as a way to increase vertical/ leg strength
2. Do you like 1 foot squats

[Permodius]

Thanks to all you guys who responded to me in this topic. All the answers were really in depth. Rake2204, you are right about your claim that palming the balm can help you dunk consistently. If a ball has good grip I can flush it 100% of the time, and even through it pretty hard. It makes no sense because it looks like I get much higher this way. The reason I rather dunk regurlarly is because I travel through this method, this is because if I take a dribble before taking off the ball will slip out of my hand. The only instance that I would be able to dunk in game is if the ball hads REALLY good grip. Grip so good that I can just take off after a dribble. And Swaggin916, I think you are the best poster on this board. Not only do you answer all the questions you can, but you give very in depth answers. Answers that come from experience. I've made another topic where you answered it very nicely, and I appreciate what you do around here. Also thanks you too Birmingham1955, not only for the good answer, but for a quick response.

[Swaggin916]

Thanks to all you guys who responded to me in this topic. All the answers were really in depth. Rake2204, you are right about your claim that palming the balm can help you dunk consistently. If a ball has good grip I can flush it 100% of the time, and even through it pretty hard. It makes no sense because it looks like I get much higher this way. The reason I rather dunk regurlarly is because I travel through this method, this is because if I take a dribble before taking off the ball will slip out of my hand. The only instance that I would be able to dunk in game is if the ball hads REALLY good grip. Grip so good that I can just take off after a dribble. And Swaggin916, I think you are the best poster on this board. Not only do you answer all the questions you can, but you give very in depth answers. Answers that come from experience. I've made another topic where you answered it very nicely, and I appreciate what you do around here. Also thanks you too Birmingham1955, not only for the good answer, but for a quick response.


Right now I live to answer questions and try to help people reach their goals... So yea it's all good.
Definitely grip has a whole lot to do with it... I forgot to mention that. If you have Rondo like hands, you can probably flush it every time 8" above the rim... but most guys aren't like that. Most guys are like us and can't palm a ball regularly. Even if you can palm it, unless you have a like a death grip on it then losing control of it can happen rather easily.


1. Do you like lunges as a way to increase vertical/ leg strength
2. Do you like 1 foot squats

Yes I like both of those. One leg squats are fantastic for increasing vert, and many times, your body weight is enough. Do sets of 5-6.

Switching Lunges are great as well (may be a little hard on the knees tho). Regular old lunges with body weight won't do a whole lot for you, but if you jump and do them, it's a great plyometric exercise. Sets of 8 or so per leg are good.

[Rake2204]

Yes I like both of those. One leg squats are fantastic for increasing vert, and many times, your body weight is enough. Do sets of 5-6.

Switching Lunges are great as well (may be a little hard on the knees tho). Regular old lunges with body weight won't do a whole lot for you, but if you jump and do them, it's a great plyometric exercise. Sets of 8 or so per leg are good.
Alright, quick question. What are we talking about with one-legged squats? Sounds intriguing.

Second, I too, like rolling with the jump lunges. To help avoid knee problems I like warming my legs up prior to this exercise through jumping rope, skipping, some other kind of light-on-the-body jumping.

[MannyO]

This is a good question for me as well.

I am trying to make the transition to being a 1 leg dunker. I just need to get the technique down. Does stuff like hurdle jumps help with getting better at 1 leg jumps

[Rake2204]

This is a good question for me as well.

I am trying to make the transition to being a 1 leg dunker. I just need to get the technique down. Does stuff like hurdle jumps help with getting better at 1 leg jumps
I personally did not use hurdle jumps when re-developing my one leg jumps but it sounds like a great idea. The best thing I did to force my way back into being a one-leg dunker was to try dunking off one foot. . .a lot. It felt uncomfortable and hopeless at first, but I found even repititions where I practiced jumping high on the rim (even without a ball) was beneficial.

Believe it or not, the real breakthrough moment with my one-foot dunking came with a girls basketball. I think having a smaller ball allowed me to perfect my one-foot jumping technique without worrying so much about handling a large orb at the same time. After I got things down with the 28.5, it was a seamless transition from there. It's been magical ever since.

[MannyO]

I personally did not use hurdle jumps when re-developing my one leg jumps but it sounds like a great idea. The best thing I did to force my way back into being a one-leg dunker was to try dunking off one foot. . .a lot. It felt uncomfortable and hopeless at first, but I found even repititions where I practiced jumping high on the rim (even without a ball) was beneficial.

Believe it or not, the real breakthrough moment with my one-foot dunking came with a girls basketball. I think having a smaller ball allowed me to perfect my one-foot jumping technique without worrying so much about handling a large orb at the same time. After I got things down with the 28.5, it was a seamless transition from there. It's been magical ever since.


thats cool im gunna try that, my downfall is that im only 5'11 so it takes more vertical to get up there especially with 1 leg. I have dunked a few times with 2 legs nothing big, and I almost threw 1 down off 1 leg. In fact there was a time that I was getting up high off 1 leg idk how but I was just getting up there with ease but the next day I couldn't do it maybe because I wasn't using the same mechanics or something.

[Rake2204]

thats cool im gunna try that, my downfall is that im only 5'11 so it takes more vertical to get up there especially with 1 leg. I have dunked a few times with 2 legs nothing big, and I almost threw 1 down off 1 leg. In fact there was a time that I was getting up high off 1 leg idk how but I was just getting up there with ease but the next day I couldn't do it maybe because I wasn't using the same mechanics or something.
I think we all have those days, where it feels like we're floating and soaring higher than ever. Then tomorrow arrives, our hops return to normal and we rack our brains trying to figure out the variable leading to yesterday's exploits.

I'll throw another element out there: stretching every day. I don't know if it helps but I always figured it couldn't hurt. My flexibility has certainly been beneficial to my overall basketball skill. Plus it seems like something that might help at least the teeny bit when it comes to rising up.

I'd also encourage watching this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czwYS6feqEQ

[MannyO]

I think we all have those days, where it feels like we're floating and soaring higher than ever. Then tomorrow arrives, our hops return to normal and we rack our brains trying to figure out the variable leading to yesterday's exploits.

I'll throw another element out there: stretching every day. I don't know if it helps but I always figured it couldn't hurt. My flexibility has certainly been beneficial to my overall basketball skill. Plus it seems like something that might help at least the teeny bit when it comes to rising up.

I'd also encourage watching this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czwYS6feqEQ

yea Ive watched that vid a couple hundred times lol. I need to stretch alot like u said but sometimes I just forget. Also I need to work on jumping off 1 leg alot and trying to master the technique, even start doing sprints to make sure my legs are working well.

[Permodius]

I like the turn this topic has taken. This is because it relates with 2 other questions I was going to ask. I know of a lot of work outs to increase 2-foot jumping, and everytime I get in the weight room to help my vert, only my 2-foot vert is affected. What are some excercises that can best help my single-legged jump? Also, I never, and I mean NEVER stretch. The last time I stretched was when I was with my high school basketball team, which was 6 months ago. If I were to start stretching now, would that give me that little boost I need?

[Swaggin916]

Alright, quick question. What are we talking about with one-legged squats? Sounds intriguing.

Second, I too, like rolling with the jump lunges. To help avoid knee problems I like warming my legs up prior to this exercise through jumping rope, skipping, some other kind of light-on-the-body jumping.

Otherwise known as pistols: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLBAbqEZIeU

With anything that goes down past parallel though, you have to be careful. I wouldn't do these every week... maybe once every 3-4 weeks. Our knees are not designed to past parallel. It might not hurt now, but in time, it will mess them up slowly but surely. Like with anything tho, in moderation, it will be alright.


I like the turn this topic has taken. This is because it relates with 2 other questions I was going to ask. I know of a lot of work outs to increase 2-foot jumping, and everytime I get in the weight room to help my vert, only my 2-foot vert is affected. What are some excercises that can best help my single-legged jump? Also, I never, and I mean NEVER stretch. The last time I stretched was when I was with my high school basketball team, which was 6 months ago. If I were to start stretching now, would that give me that little boost I need?

Stretching can definitely give you a boost. I can't remember what the reason is anymore (don't really feel like looking for it right now) exactly, but being more flexible definitely helps with muscle contractions/stretching. Don't overdo it, but just a few stretches every day holding for 15 seconds or so is fine... You can also do stretching reps, which is like holding each stretch for 2 seconds and then do like 10 reps. It is supposed to be a better way of stretching actually because it negates the myotatic reflex (Muscles contract to protect themselves.) and you won't tear your muscles. (I tore my hammy from overstratching so yea like I said be careful. It's messed up my whole body).

Just practice jumping off one foot and try to get the form down that was explained in the video on the last page. Also, 1 leg exercises like lunges, step ups and pistols will help too.

[dwadefan11]

Oh damn I've been using actual weights when I do my 1 foot squats not much but just adding a little bit, oh well :lol

[Swaggin916]

Oh damn I've been using actual weights when I do my 1 foot squats not much but just adding a little bit, oh well :lol

That's fine too. but add it slowly but surely... be nice to your knees lol.

[dwadefan11]

That's fine too. but add it slowly but surely... be nice to your knees lol.

haha yeah its low weight but still I'm definetly only doing them like once every two weeks

[bumpyknucks]

Quick answer

Squats
Deadlifts
Cleans
Calf raises

Hip flexor stretches (youtube it)

[Permodius]

Thank you to all the people who replied to this thread and helped me out. I took all the advice here, including rest(Took 1 day off) and it got me so far! Not only did I dunk it seemingly easy on the two regulation-sized quadruple rims(Double rims but the bottom is extended for placement of nets) at the park I go to, but I was able to do a dunk I never thought I'd do on a regulation size rim. I cupped the ball between my wrist and forearm, then I took off, and to the amazement of me and many others, it went straight in. Clean as can be. I was so hyped that I did that. Sadly, as soon as it came, it was gone. Even thought I was tired out and my stomach started hurting, I don't think they are the blame for this. When I tried to dunk again on the rim opposite of the one I cup-dunked it on(They are the same exact height and form), I was nowhere near close. Oh well, it was good while it lasted.

[Permodius]

1 month later. I thought I had it figured out. It seemed so obvious. My hops will be at their worst after playing basketball for too many consecutive days and needing a rest. My hops will be best after resting (48 hours for full recovery). However something just happened that made absolutely no sense. As you see in my prior post which was a month ago, I managed to do a really good dunk. I never rested, and 3 days later I managed to cup dunk it on another rim which was at a park I go to with my father on Sundays (His league plays games there). Also I was positive that the rim was regulation height.
Fast-forward a week later. Somewhere during the following week I had taken a 2-day rest. When I returned to the park and tried to dunk on the same exact rim, I couldn't! I was so confused. I mean, I only rested for 2-days. I definitely wasn't injured. What did I do wrong? Ever since then I wasn't able to dunk on a regulation height rim, until today. This is where it gets really odd. Prior to today I played basketball for 2 days straight, kept trying to dunk over and over (Practiced my 2-legged jump on lower height rims), and I was sore. Logic says I should have no hops today right? Wrong. After classes at my college I went over to the Gymnasium for open-gym. After shooting around I decided to try to dunk it (Rims are definitely regulation height, and I failed dunking on them so many times prior). I got so close that I surprised myself. When I tried it again, it went down! I was baffled. Ever since college started for me (A week after it actually started is when I first went to open gym) I wasn't able to get a single dunk on any of these rims, and I would try all the time. Here I am, putting dunks down easily, on a day where I am sore. I even had people Ooh'ing and ahh'ing over my cup dunk. This makes no sense at all! Can someone explain what had happened? This makes me so mad, that every once in a blue moon when I can dunk it, I can do it effortlessly. But when I try to dunk it a day after this, I am nowhere near close. I bet the pattern will continue tomorrow. Someone explain this!

[Swaggin916]

some days are good, some are average, and some are bad. It's just that simple. You are able to dunk on a good day, but not any other day. If you want to dunk consistently, you need to stop playing, and work on your your vert specifically for the next couple months... after you gain a couple inches, then you will be able to dunk on a bad day, and really dunk on a good day.