Can you dunk??

[Rake2204]

nice dude. what have you been doing to maintain your vertical? try using imgur btw.

I just try to stay active, man. One of the bigger things is just getting out on the court and playing. I've been coaching teams during the winter in years past and I actually fully participate in most of the drills for which we take part, so that helps. Otherwise, it can be tough to find a lot of available basketball during the snowy midwestern winters.

When the winter doldrums hit though, in recent years I've been tinkering with a program called Air Alert, not so much for getting a 40'' vert (which I'll never have) but more as a means of just keeping the body active, working, and jumping. I also try to jog, run, jump rope, and mountain bike. I'm not sure which ones are good for jumping and which aren't, but I figure if nothing else, exercise will serve a purpose one way or another.

Also, thanks for the imugr recommendation. I'll give it a shot.

[Underballer]

I just try to stay active, man. One of the bigger things is just getting out on the court and playing. I've been coaching teams during the winter in years past and I actually fully participate in most of the drills for which we take part, so that helps. Otherwise, it can be tough to find a lot of available basketball during the snowy midwestern winters.

When the winter doldrums hit though, in recent years I've been tinkering with a program called Air Alert, not so much for getting a 40'' vert (which I'll never have) but more as a means of just keeping the body active, working, and jumping. I also try to jog, run, jump rope, and mountain bike. I'm not sure which ones are good for jumping and which aren't, but I figure if nothing else, exercise will serve a purpose one way or another.

Also, thanks for the imugr recommendation. I'll give it a shot.

ah, i see. whats your standing reach and wingspan btw?

[Rake2204]

ah, i see. whats your standing reach and wingspan btw?

My standing reach is 7'11'' (95 inches). I do not know my wingspan off-hand, but I believe it correlates almost directly to my height (6'3''). I was not blessed with long arms or big hands (cannot palm a ball).

[Myth]

It has been nearly 10 years since I dunked.

[Rake2204]

A quick note regarding would-be dunkers: if you cannot palm a ball, still try when attempting to dunk. I've found over the years I sometimes go through these lapses where I'm just naturally holding the ball when I'm trying to elevate for a dunk. It's not a super weak grip, but just not a super strong one either.

I've found if I consciously try to squeeze the rock when I'm collecting for a dunk, it gives me more control and possibly more momentum, as the flexing or exertion in the arms may contribute to a more aggressive takeoff. I used to think one can either palm the ball or they can't, but I think there's a whole range of middle ground. A slight bit of grip is better than having none at all, and by making certain to spread your fingers on the ball and trying to grip it hard, a little more control can be had.

Maybe that sounds obvious to everyone, but I thought I'd share just in case. Like I said, for some reason I go through lapses where I elevate with a good grip on the ball, but not quite a great grip, and it negatively affects my ability to finish above the rim.

It has been nearly 10 years since I dunked.

How old are you?

[Swaggin916]

^^^ Will keep that in mind. I'm training again right now to put down some dunks and I'm right in that middle ground in terms of palming.

[Milbuck]

How much can you increase your vert in around 3-4 months? Right now I'm around 6'1" in shoes, 175 pounds. I can hang on rim, can't quite dunk.

[MP.Trey]

5'11 white boy. I've dunked maybe 10-15 times in my life. All warm up or open gym though, never in game situation and it's been a year or two since I have cleanly dunked since I'm not as dedicated physically as I was when I was in school. Got up and hanging on the rim pretty effortlessly the other night at pickup though. Felt damn good.

[Rake2204]

I know I was just talking above about dunking without palming, but I played with an Under Armour rock last night that I could palm and it's crazy how much easier it is to dunk in that manner. I mean, dunking without palming isn't exactly rocket science either, but I was feeling like Dr. J out there. So much more control, and dunking itself becomes a risk-free plop-in opportunity, where you can star out your legs and whatnot, as opposed to the full body commitment required of a non-palm jam. Almost feels cheap.

How much can you increase your vert in around 3-4 months? Right now I'm around 6'1" in shoes, 175 pounds. I can hang on rim, can't quite dunk.

I'd say for common folk there's usually a solid opportunity for vertical increase over four months if a person commits to a solid workout. It's tough to put a number on things though.

For instance, if you haven't played a ton of basketball lately and you can hang on the rim even though your legs aren't in super shape, I think that'd tend to bode well, meaning you likely have a wider opportunity for increase. And even if you are in game shape, finding a jumping program (or something of that ilk) will likely result in positive change if done consistently with full energy.

I've done a fair portion of the 15 week Air Alert program and while I could already leap alright prior, I felt it did serve as a means of keeping my legs active if nothing else, while perhaps adding a small bit of vert. I've never made it to the end of that program though, which is where the biggest changes are likely precipitated (the workouts get nuts).

[Swaggin916]

How much can you increase your vert in around 3-4 months? Right now I'm around 6'1" in shoes, 175 pounds. I can hang on rim, can't quite dunk.

3-4 months you can gain around 5-6 inches on your vert with the biggest gains coming a couple months apart. There will be weeks where you don't really improve for whatever reason. If you are really committed though you fight through that and keep going. You need proper rest days and a lot of calories/protein for building the explosive muscle and energy your body will require. If you would like a sample routine I can post one... It's not complicated you just have to put in the work and not overdo it. The 4 things you need to take into account are flexibly, stability, strength, and power. A routine that incorporates those is infallible if you do the work.

[Marv_Albert]

3-4 months you can gain around 5-6 inches on your vert with the biggest gains coming a couple months apart. There will be weeks where you don't really improve for whatever reason. If you are really committed though you fight through that and keep going. You need proper rest days and a lot of calories/protein for building the explosive muscle and energy your body will require. If you would like a sample routine I can post one... It's not complicated you just have to put in the work and not overdo it. The 4 things you need to take into account are flexibly, stability, strength, and power. A routine that incorporates those is infallible if you do the work.

Bro can you post your program please??

[Hands of Iron]

Hell no, I'm a little white boy with short arms.

Don't even hardly play ball anymore since I got into bodybuilding.

[PistonsFan#21]

this is a must read for anyone thats really serious about increasing their vertical jump: http://msuathletics.ru/books/bible/vert_jump_bible.pdf

it includes a lot of free programs depending on your training level and it explains most things you need to know about jumping higher.

Programs like air alert are bad and will only get you hurt. There is no reasonning behind it. It just makes you jump over 300 times on some exercises which is just pointless.

Im close to dunking with 2 hands now at 5'8''. Can grab rim from a standstill too

[Sakkreth]

Yeah I can, nothing fancy though. I am 6'2,5.

[Smook A.]

Been dunking on a 10 foot hoop since I was 15.