1. Harder Than One
Some make the assumption that a dunk is a dunk, and if you can one, you can do them all. That is simply not true. The two-handed dunk requires a higher vertical leap than the one-handed dunk. This is primarily because you are trying to lift more of your body up towards the basketball rim. An advantage of the two-handed dunk is that you have more ball control and protection than you do with a one-handed dunk, which is especially helpful if you have small hands.
2. Two Feet First
Generally, you start a two-handed dunk off two feet. You can use this dunk with a one-foot jump, but often that throws off your balance on the dunk and requires more body control. So unless you can jump high enough where it does not matter, start the two-handed dunk off two feet. This two-footed start is slower than a one-foot take off because you have to stop and collect yourself before going up for the dunk. This gives the opposing defense time to catch up and attempt to defend the dunk.
3. Work Those Legs
The primary upward propellants for your dunking skills are your legs. It is not just the strength in your legs, but the number of fast twitch muscles that you develop in those legs that improve your leaping ability. The best exercise for these muscles is jumping rope which forces you legs muscle to move quickly and in time with the movement of the rope. Other exercises include the leg press, squats and calf raises. There are specific programs or tools out there that can help you improve your vertical leap, but nothing replaces good old-fashioned hard work on those legs muscles.
4. Don't Hang Around
When playing a game, the two-handed dunk can energize the crowd and propel your team to victory. However, it can also get you in trouble with the referees. The troubles come if you hang onto the rim after completing the two-handed dunk. Unless you are avoiding a player underneath you, it is technical foul to hang on the rim after a dunk. It is a natural instinct to want to hang onto the rim for extra emphasis, so remember that after you throw down that dunk, let go of the rim as soon as possible.
5. Core Strength
If you want to be able to throw down that two-handed dunk with authority, one thing you are going to need is strong abdominal muscles. Abdominal strength enables you to control your body, better making it easier to dunk in traffic with two-hands. So start doing those crunches to improve core strength and watch your dunking ability improve.
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