Dunking a basketball is one of the most athletic and challenging things you can do in sports. In order to dunk, players must jump high enough to get the basketball well over the rim. It is even more difficult to do any dunk variations or trick dunks, including the reverse dunk during which players reverse or flip their bodies in mid-air.
Step 1
Take a running start and begin your leap a little farther out than you normally would. For example, if you usually take off about five feet from the goal, move back to seven to eight feet. The idea is that your momentum will help carry you because you are aiming more for distance and hang time than for vertical height.
Step 2
Leap with your shoulders and body square to the basket to start the jump. This is the most powerful position for your legs and the flip or rotation comes later.
Step 3
Flip or rotate your body in mid-air during the leap. After you leave the floor, begin to rotate your shoulders in the direction you feel the most comfortable with. Some dunkers can only rotate one direction, while others can go either way.
Step 4
Lift your arms straight up as high as possible as you finish the half rotation to dunk the ball. As you master the half rotation and reverse dunk, work on a full rotation or a 360-degree dunk.
Step 5
Look up as you dunk the ball and watch the rim as the ball goes through and you grab the rim. This allows you to judge how far to turn and enables you to make sure you make the dunk.
Tips and Warnings
- Leap with what you feel comfortable with. This means that if you jump higher with two feet, perform the dunk off of two and if you leap better off of one foot, use one. Neither option should significantly affect the dunk. It's simply a personal preference.
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