The ability to slam dunk a basketball is based off a number of factors, including your vertical leap, size of your hands and coordination. If you have the right combination of these factors, you may be able to dunk a ball in practice but dunking in a game is much different. During a game, you need the right situation to unfold on the court as well as the right physical capabilities to be able to slam dunk a basketball.
Step 1
Leap high so that you can get the ball above the rim for a slam dunk. Unless you're 7 feet, you will need to be able to jump high to slam dunk a basketball. The shorter you are, the higher you will have to jump. Plyometric workouts can help you build explosiveness in your lower body and weight lifting can help you attain muscle mass in your quadriceps, calves and hamstrings, which are all crucial in the ability to jump high. Until you reach a point where you can easily get above the rim with your hand, you won't be able to dunk a basketball.
Step 2
Grip the ball tightly so that you don't lose control of it while you jump. Some dunkers like to hold onto the ball with two hands, but you can often get the ball higher just holding it with one hand. This requires a combination of large hands and a strong grip. It is easy for the ball to slip out of your hands as you move it through the air, making having a strong grip critical in the success of a dunk. While there is not much you can do about hand size, you can strengthen your grip by squeezing a tennis ball a couple hundred times a day to improve your hand muscles.
Step 3
Pick your spot during the game and finish. The easiest time to dunk is on an uncontested fast break, which would closely simulate how you practice dunking on your own, but those are not guaranteed to come every game. If you are driving to the hoop with an open lane, jump off one foot to use your momentum to help you get above the rim. If you are a taller post player, position yourself to get the ball where you can seal your opponent away from you so that you have an open look at the rim. Gather yourself and jump off of two feet and flush the ball through the rim.
Tips and Warnings
- Determine whether you can jump higher off of one foot or two feet. For some it doesn't make much of a difference, but some people can jump significantly higher one way over the other.
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