Dunking in basketball

[raptor517]

so, in high school, i could dunk a girls ball, but could never get a good enough grip on the ball to dunk a guys ball 1 handed, and def couldnt make it going up with 2 hands. what are best workouts for this? general calf stuff or what? right now im getting hung on the rim and its pissing me off. also, im still prob gonna eat lots of candy, so dont mention that. <3

[TxRedMan]

Important factors would be your HS weight vs. your weight now, and your relative conditioning then vs. now.

If you're really serious about it you're going to have to increase your leg strength substantially, but, the good news is that's not very hard to do in a relatively untrained individual. Think about it logically- the basic measure for leg strength is squat, so let's say you can squat 250 LBS, and you weight 185-ish. If you're hanging on the rim now, consider what you might be able to do squatting 350 weighing 175.

I'd reccomend setting out on a 16 week course to improve your vertical over those 16 weeks.

If you want a program i'd be happy to provide one. It takes a long time to explain so before i waste that much time typing out week by week workouts, figure out if you really care that much about dunking.

List your weight then vs. now, conditioning then vs. now, what's available to you gym-wise.

[raptor517]

i weigh about the same i think, right around 200, im 6'2. i used to be in lot better shape i think i might have weighed 205 at my peak in high school.. as far as conditioning i get tired after about 10 mins of playing basketball now. its sad. in high school i could play all day no worries. for squats.. i think i maxed at like 405, 225 on cleans if that makes diff. now i have no idea, as i havent done any leg workouts in prob 2.5 years. as far as gym stuff.. i have basic crap at my house and membership at 24hr fitness. id prob fall over and die if i tried to squat 300 today.. meh. i wanna dunk by end of wsop. maybe ill make a prop bet.. if i can dunk before someone im living with wins a bracelet, i get something cool! otherwise they do.. i like this.

[theblackkeys]

[ QUOTE ]
Important factors would be your HS weight vs. your weight now, and your relative conditioning then vs. now.

If you're really serious about it you're going to have to increase your leg strength substantially, but, the good news is that's not very hard to do in a relatively untrained individual. Think about it logically- the basic measure for leg strength is squat, so let's say you can squat 250 LBS, and you weight 185-ish. If you're hanging on the rim now, consider what you might be able to do squatting 350 weighing 175.

I'd reccomend setting out on a 16 week course to improve your vertical over those 16 weeks.

If you want a program i'd be happy to provide one. It takes a long time to explain so before i waste that much time typing out week by week workouts, figure out if you really care that much about dunking.

List your weight then vs. now, conditioning then vs. now, what's available to you gym-wise.

[/ QUOTE ]
I don't think squat ability directly translates into jumping ability, although I'm not saying it's going to hurt him.

I'm not exactly an expert on the issue, but from quick browsing that's what I've heard. jah, plz comment.

[MrOnizuka]

Baron Davis endorses Air Alert (airalert.com)

One of my friends actually bought this thing. It was like 6 different jumping exercises that you'd do three times a week. No weights or nothing, just hops n calf raises n stuff. By week 15 it was like 500 calf raises, 300 squat hops, ridiculous numbers that took like 1.5hrs to do.

Dude was like 6'1'' and Asian(this is a serious handicap, believe me) and he ended up being able to dunk. Like two weeks after he finished he went up on a fast break and jammed it, came down funny, popped something in his knee, and was on crutches for a month...

[DLKeeper1]

A mix of lifting and plyometrics is definitely the best thing (called complex training). Get the book Jumping into Plyometrics by Dr. Donald Chu and you will be able to increase your vertical.

[thirddan]

ive read that a lot of jumping power is directed from the hips/glutes/hamstrings rather than from the calves directly...so rdl/good morning/squats...i think robert remedios has a manual on increasing your vert...

How important is your lower leg in vertical jump training?

Here's a quote from Joe DeFranco:

"You once said that big calves have about as much to do with how high you can jump as the color of your hair. What's the full story on "big hops"?

JD: The posterior chain (spinal erectors, gluteals and hamstrings) makes up around 70% of the musculature responsible for your jumping ability. Squat and deadlift variations, Olympic lifts, and good mornings will give you the most bang for your buck in the weightroom with regards to improving your vertical jump.

There's another very interesting factor that plays a large role in how high you can jump. I’ve had the pleasure of working with over two-dozen athletes who can jump over 35". Besides being very strong in the posterior chain, they had something else in common: "high cut" calves. What I mean by this is that their calves had an insertion point very high on their lower leg. This usually means a longer Achilles tendon. A longer Achilles tendon can store more elastic energy, which translates into more explosive jumps.

Think about this: have you ever seen a kangaroo with big calves? Of course not! The reason they can jump so high lies in the length of their Achilles tendons. Kangaroos have the longest Achilles tendon of any animal on earth. They also spring off the ground better than any other animal on earth. Unfortunately, you can’t increase the length of your Achilles tendon — it’s genetic. You have your parents to thank for that. "

http://www.fitfriends.com/showthread.php?t=4476

[SmileyEH]

I think in order: olympic lifts, depth jumps, box jumps, other plyos, squats.

[thirddan]

found this while surfing...didn't read the whole thing cuz i don't give a [censored] about dunking, but it might be interesting...

http://www.wannabebig.com/article.php?articleid=304

[TomHimself]

get jumpsoles