Post: #1

Hey guys, quick question here.

I really would like to learn how to dunk a lot better than I can right now. I'm nearly 100% sure I can, but I just can't get myself to do it. I'm around 6'2 200lbs (~90kg) and I can squat 355, and clean and jerk 245. I also was a sprinter in high school, but for some reason my vertical is lacking.

Losing weight is out of the question right now also.

I can grip a basketball easily, but for some reason I just can't dunk. I'm wondering why.

Post: #2

I thought of this when you asked the question, pretty inspirational.

Post: #3

Can you palm a basketball well enough? Not just being able to palm it straight down, but palming it while holding it horizontally and being able to push it vertically straight down? Because if you can't do that, you can't dunk.

Post: #4

You need to work on exploding into your jumps. A lot of tall guys that can't dunk have a lazy jump. Focus on literally blasting upward.

Post: #5

From the looks of it, I would say that you are not training explosively. When you are training to jump especially when you are trying to dunk, the most important thing is how quickly you can do the weight not necessarily how much you can lift. You also need to mimic being very explosive and the best way to do that is to with plyometrics.

Working on your core and being very flexible is also paramount to increasing your vert. Dynamic flexibility exercises are going to help increase your potential to generate more power and plyo is going to increase your ability to generate more power. My measurements are similar to yours 6'3 200, with my vertical being slightly north of 30-31 inches and I can dunk pretty easily. One guy to read is Tim Grover, who published a book called Jump Attack, that I picked up in high school and basically transformed my vert. He was Michael Jordan's trainer, and has trained other stars like Dwade and Kobe, so he definitely knows what he's talking about. I believe he has a cheap app on the Google and Apple stores also called Jump Attack. Kelly Baggett is another guy with a great program, as well as Alan Stein.

I would recommend structuring your workout like this:
Dynamic Stretching and Foam Rolling
Core work(front and side bridges, and similar exercises)
Plyo(squat jumps, box jumps, etc)
Resistance/weights(DB squats, lunges, front squats, RDLs etc)
Cool down stretching

This would be 3 times a week, and the guys I cited all have programs that go into detail about specific exercises.

Post: #6

I agree with everything that Joga Bonito said. Also to add you have figure out if you are a one- footed dunker or a two- footed dunker. Also you have to figure out which hand you dunk better with left or right. I remember my first dunk, I drove left and finished right because it was easier for me to guide the ball to the rim and also less distance the ball has to travel which minimizes the ball slipping out. If you're better with you left then drive right and finish left.

Post: #7

(03-11-2015 12:23 AM)Joga Bonito Wrote:  From the looks of it, I would say that you are not training explosively. When you are training to jump especially when you are trying to dunk, the most important thing is how quickly you can do the weight not necessarily how much you can lift. You also need to mimic being very explosive and the best way to do that is to with plyometrics.

Working on your core and being very flexible is also paramount to increasing your vert. Dynamic flexibility exercises are going to help increase your potential to generate more power and plyo is going to increase your ability to generate more power. My measurements are similar to yours 6'3 200, with my vertical being slightly north of 30-31 inches and I can dunk pretty easily. One guy to read is Tim Grover, who published a book called Jump Attack, that I picked up in high school and basically transformed my vert. He was Michael Jordan's trainer, and has trained other stars like Dwade and Kobe, so he definitely knows what he's talking about. I believe he has a cheap app on the Google and Apple stores also called Jump Attack. Kelly Baggett is another guy with a great program, as well as Alan Stein.

I would recommend structuring your workout like this:
Dynamic Stretching and Foam Rolling
Core work(front and side bridges, and similar exercises)
Plyo(squat jumps, box jumps, etc)
Resistance/weights(DB squats, lunges, front squats, RDLs etc)
Cool down stretching

This would be 3 times a week, and the guys I cited all have programs that go into detail about specific exercises.

You do plyos and weight training on the same day?

Because the Kelly Baggett book, Verticle Jump Bible, he actually splits them up. And even the beginner plyometrics routines are very tiring on the legs.

Not saying it's impossible though, I'm actually interested in your take on it.

Baggett also says that you should focus on the area that you're weaker in, and that squatting twice your bodyweight essentially guarantees you can dunk.

Since OP's squat numbers are right there and he's got good height, it's probably more that he needs to train his explosiveness and jumping than strength.

Post: #8

How about this, has anyone significantly increased their vertical without changing body mass/composition?

We can all cite different programs that say to do different things, but has anyone had solid results?

I'm 6'3" 215 lbs, and my vertical is terrible. I think I am a "lazy jumper." I'm still trying to slim down to 205 by summer but I'd also like to add in plyometric work in order to increase my vertical.

How is the Jump Attack app? Sounds like something I would like.

Post: #9

(03-13-2015 12:19 PM)Enigma Wrote:  You do plyos and weight training on the same day?

Because the Kelly Baggett book, Verticle Jump Bible, he actually splits them up. And even the beginner plyometrics routines are very tiring on the legs.

Not saying it's impossible though, I'm actually interested in your take on it.

Baggett also says that you should focus on the area that you're weaker in, and that squatting twice your bodyweight essentially guarantees you can dunk.

Since OP's squat numbers are right there and he's got good height, it's probably more that he needs to train his explosiveness and jumping than strength.

Yup, you sure can. I have always done it with that Jump Attack program and also with another trainer named Alan Stein and never sustained any real injuries on top of great results. It's important to note that resistance training includes upper body as well, since that is very important to reaching your overall vertical potential.

The great thing about jump training is that there's a ton of way to skin the cat. Grover, Stein, and Baggett all have somewhat divergent philosophies, but they all work. I named all three since others can research for themselves how exactly they want to attack getting more explosive. I remember training one summer where my boy was using Vertical Jump Bible. He had never weight trained before in his life on top of being out of shape and kinda chubby, but by the end of the program he was dunking easily. He was about 5'11 205 and could barely touch the net. I know a few other guys that loved VJB as well.

Personally, I like Steins program(s) the best since he has the most comprehensive and holistic approach IMO. That's basically the template I wrote in my first post. Some days the only plyo would be practicing dunking and other days there would be a host of different box and squat jumps to do in addition to front squats and other resistance stuff, but that comes later in the program.

Post: #10

(03-13-2015 01:57 PM)Joga Bonito Wrote:  Yup, you sure can. I have always done it with that Jump Attack program and also with another trainer named Alan Stein and never sustained any real injuries on top of great results. It's important to note that resistance training includes upper body as well, since that is very important to reaching your overall vertical potential.

The great thing about jump training is that there's a ton of way to skin the cat. Grover, Stein, and Baggett all have somewhat divergent philosophies, but they all work. I named all three since others can research for themselves how exactly they want to attack getting more explosive. I remember training one summer where my boy was using Vertical Jump Bible. He had never weight trained before in his life on top of being out of shape and kinda chubby, but by the end of the program he was dunking easily. He was about 5'11 205 and could barely touch the net. I know a few other guys that loved VJB as well.

Personally, I like Steins program(s) the best since he has the most comprehensive and holistic approach IMO. That's basically the template I wrote in my first post. Some days the only plyo would be practicing dunking and other days there would be a host of different box and squat jumps to do in addition to front squats and other resistance stuff, but that comes later in the program.

Good stuff.

Yeah, the VJB plyo program is a circuit of like 8 exercises, 3 sets. And that's just the beginners -- you've also got an intermediate and advanced, which are more difficult.

And even being in good shape both times I tackled it, it left my legs completely drained afterwards. The weight program is pretty intense also and all lower body focused, so I think you'd have to be a pretty advanced athlete to hit them back to back. That's why he recommends doing one or the other on your leg days.

But I could definitely see doing a shorter plyo routine and then weight training afterwards. Upper body wouldn't be a problem either way, of course.

Post: #11

I was watching the NCAA national championship game and looked the white kid up afterwards, coming across this dunk clip.




Dayum! Maybe it's because he's not black and we're not as used to non- black dudes demonstrating epic dunks, but that youtube clip is to me an ultimate demonstration of superior genetics. The kid is like 16 in that video and I doubt has ever squatted in his life judging by his chicken legs, but those legs can fuking launch him to orbit.Those 4 dudes he jumped over are all at least 3 or 4 inches taller than he is. That's just ill.

Post: #12

There's a white guy who dresses up in the spiderman suit and has some silly vertical.

Post: #13

Yeah - unfortunately I rolled my ankle. I was in the process of building a plyo box and some other jump paraphernalia, but all of that has been put on hold for a while. I'm going to start doing some light plyo stuff and then graduate to VJB.

Post: #14

Man... Are we sure 2000 Vince isn't in the spider suit?

Post: #15

The best way to improve vertical jump is JUMP all the time. Jump without weights, jump with weights, run sprints just do anything to increase power and explosiveness in the legs. Having strong abs help to as you use a lot of legs in jumping. That's what a lot of those programs incorporate.

My favorite thing to do is find something like a ceiling, tree branch, etc that you think is an inch or two out of your jump reach and keep jumping until you can grab it. Then once you can do that move onto something higher.