How to Dunk a Basketball

There are a lot of sports out there where jumping can play a key role. Whether it’s something like soccer, football, basketball, and even baseball to some degree you’re going to find that being able to jump higher and faster can really be key to how you’re able to play the game and succeed.  That’s why finding ways that you can improve your physical fitness, and methods for how to increase your vertical jump ability is a necessity.  You’ll find that it’s just all about strengthening the right muscles and doing so in the right ways so that you can get the most out of the jumping motion.

That means you’re going to have to do a few things, and that includes actually knowing what types of exercises are going to be the most beneficial in the long run. You’re going to find that figuring out how to increase your vertical ability is going to be a measure of practicing the right exercises to help out your body’s explosive jumping ability, as well as those that are just going to strengthen in general. Here are a few things that you want to remember, and even techniques that you can employ if you want to succeed:

Sprinting

Think about what sprinters look like, and what muscles that you actually use to sprint.  You’re going to find that they have very muscular bodies, and actually have quite a bit of muscle on the legs unlike long distance runners. That’s because they need explosive power to really explode out of the blocks and onto the course. That’s why sprinting can be great for the muscles so that you can build up that explosive muscle strength that can be so helpful with jumping as you get stronger and stronger.

Alternate Leg Jumping

Stressing the legs with your body weight is a good way to build up muscle and get them to grow stronger. You’ll find that if you actually do alternate leg jumps, which is literally jumping with one leg at a time so that you can force that one leg to do the work, you’re going to be able to build up your muscles by a lot.  This way it’s going to be a lot easier when jumping with two legs, and you’re going to have quite the boost when you switch back to normal jumping.

Depth Jumping

This is one of the best possible methods to really increase the strength and the actual explosive ability of you muscles because of how you stress them.  This is a method by which you actually jump off of a 3 foot platform, and then the second the balls of your feet touch the ground you jump up again as high as you can.  This teaches the muscles to prepare for massive jumps like that, and ensures that you’re going to be able to build on the muscles you already have, so it’s one of the best techniques on how to increase your vertical jump ability.

Normal Exercises With Added Weight

If you feel that you’ve hit a plateau or you’re just not having the effect that you want to with your overall muscle gain or fitness, then try adding some weight.  One of the best ways to get your hops up is to actually add ankle weights to the equation as this is going to provide a great challenge when you’re doing everything from running, sprinting, jumping, anything.  Just make sure that you buy a comfortable set, otherwise they can be a bit hard on your ankles.

Maintain Good All Around Fitness

Just because you’re figuring out how to increase your vertical jump ability, doesn’t mean you want to let the regular fitness practices slip either.  You have to keep all of your muscles strong if you want to see a maximum impact, so you’re still going to want to ensure that you get your squats in if you want your exercising to have the positive effect on your jumping ability. So if you want to get your hops up then you still want to ensure that you’re doing your squats and following through on all other types of major activities.

If you’re wondering how to slam dunk, I can promise you there’s a way, provided that you’re in good physical shape.  No matter what your height may be, it’ll require some work, but obviously taller people have a bit of an edge when it comes to this stuff.  Still, depending about your build and your lower body strength, you should be able to know how to slam dunk at just about any height.

First things first, you’ll need to do some regular exercises every day to strengthen your legs, your lower back, your abdominal muscles, and even your upper body.  All of these things go a very long way towards learning how to slam dunk, and neglecting any one area of your body can throw off the balance in strength that it takes to be able to achieve this.

Eating the right foods is also integral in learning how to dunk.  I can’t emphasize this enough.  Your diet really does matter, and probably a lot more than you think.  Eat healthy foods loaded with vitamins and nutrients, and your energy levels will skyrocket. This is often the difference between being able to dunk and not, and it’s also a huge factor in determining just how much your strength training will benefit your overall ability when learning how to slam dunk.

I would also recommend practicing drills at least four times per week, and more if possible.  I wouldn’t train for seven days per week, as your body will eventually wear down.  Give your legs a rest, and your muscles time to recover, as you’ll no doubt be sure in the event that you do this stuff on a regular basis.  Rest is just as important as training.  Too many people neglect this when thinking of what they need in order to know how to slam dunk.

Lastly, I would highly recommend the use of a regular program that gives you the best possible system for learning how to dunk. All that I can tell you is a few dollars spent will be well worth the price.  Wouldn’t you shell out a few dollars to absolutely know how to dunk?  I would, and I did when I bought The Jump Manual.  And it paid itself off in a huge way.  Read more about the journey I embarked upon that eventually taught me how to dunk a basketball, or check out the link below to get started with the program now.

Hey everyone,

While the details of the system I used that finally taught me how to dunk a basketball are much more intense than these, I’m going to share three basic tips here that should definitely add an inch or two to your vertical if you do these every day for a while.

1.  Make sure your weight is optimal.  So many people who could otherwise dunk can’t dunk because they have a few extra pounds.  Some stomach fat or extra fat anywhere else can really hold you down.  This alone could accomplish a lot more than strength training on its own.  I know it’s basic, but it’s something that so many people overlook.

2.  Stand under a backboard for two minutes at a time and jump from the ground up, trying to touch the backboard.  Once you land, count to three and do it again.  Keep on doing this constantly for two minutes (or more if you can).  The repetitiveness of it all will do wonders for your leg strength.

3.  Strengthen your abs.  The stronger your abdominal muscles are, the more explosiveness you’ll have coming off the ground.  Strong abs are good for the legs and good for the lower back, and will give you some extra burst in your jump that I’m sure you could use.

Follow these three principles and you’ll see definite results.  I know it’s hard, but it pays off big time!  Nothing beats the feeling of slamming one down, especially during a game.

I hope you enjoyed these tips.  Put them to good use and you’ll see the benefits!

Blake

P.S.  For the ultimate foolproof method that gains you 10 inches or more, check out my story that explains the process that taught me how to dunk.

My name’s Blake Maddux and I love basketball.  Ever since I was a kid, I was obsessed with dunking and tried everything I could possibly think of to increase my vertical.  I had a nice little growth spurt in high school, but it didn’t turn out exactly as I’d hoped.  At just 5’9, I had my work cut out for me.   I was able to touch the backboard, but couldn’t do much more than this.  I still tried.  And tried some more.  I tried every exercise, drill, and system that you’ve probably read about.  I gained another 2 or 3 inches, but it wasn’t enough.  I guess gravity had a different plan for me.  I came to terms with this and eventually, I stopped.

Until one day a few years later I saw a high school friend, an inch shorter than me…and guess what I saw him do?  Everything changed after this, and I’m here to tell you exactly how it all happened.  As long as you’re serious about achieving your goal, I’ll show you the exact plan and approach that taught me how to dunk a basketball.

Be in touch with me if you have any questions, and I hope you find the same success that I have.

-Blake Maddux