Should I be able to dunk? and help

[claw321]

I just turned 15 and am in 9th grade. I am 6' 2.5" and weigh 178 lbs. I am the center on my high school's JV basketball team.

I was wondering if I should be able to dunk. My friends all think that I should, but they are all shorter than me and don't really know how it is.

Please reply:
Should I be able to dunk?
how can I increase my vertical jump

[E-PRO]

Do squats. My vertical jump however is crap. If I try to dunk I can barely get 6 inches off the ground when going for a dunk lol. But just jumping strait up onto some boxes, it's about 3.5 feet.

But you won't know till you try, so go for it.

[squatnoob405]

I just turned 15 and am in 9th grade. I am 6' 2.5" and weigh 178 lbs. I am the center on my high school's JV basketball team.

I was wondering if I should be able to dunk. My friends all think that I should, but they are all shorter than me and don't really know how it is.

Please reply:
Should I be able to dunk?
how can I increase my vertical jump

anybody above 6 feet tall who has a BF% in the low teens should be able to dunk easily, even without a good strength base, as long as he is doing some sort of jumping activity.

if you can palm the ball, you only need to get your wrist to the rim. thats not a lot of VJ for somebody with a decent single arm reach (how high your 1 arm reaches up with both feet flat on the floor, while wearing bball shoes).

im guessing a mid to high 20" running vertical should do it for you.

how to increase your VJ - get strong legs. squat. thats how you can throw your body high up there.

[Sbagri]

anybody above 6 feet tall who has a BF% in the low teens should be able to dunk easily, even without a good strength base, as long as he is doing some sort of jumping activity.

if you can palm the ball, you only need to get your wrist to the rim. thats not a lot of VJ for somebody with a decent single arm reach (how high your 1 arm reaches up with both feet flat on the floor, while wearing bball shoes).

im guessing a mid to high 20" running vertical should do it for you.

how to increase your VJ - get strong legs. squat. thats how you can throw your body high up there.

I dont know if I totally agree with that. I have been playin ball and vball for awhile and I cant dunk, and never have been able to. Im 6'2 and can palm a bball. I can also jump 1 footed or 2. I admittedly have no hops(obviously since i cant dunk), but to say it should be easy, i dont know about that.

to the op, I have made gains in my hops but never stuck to it long enough. But what I've learned is 2 fold. First, if you dont have adequate leg strength then work on that. Try and get your squat up to 1.5x bodyweight if it isnt already there. Then do some plyos. Try the p90x plyo video. You dont need boxes or anything. Just some space to hop around for an hour. Wicked cardio workout aswell.

[Rhodesb11]

Lol 90% of guys over 6 ft cannot dunk. MAYBE 50% of guys 6'5" can dunk. Those who are naturally gifted and/or train for it can though. If you do some squats, calf raises, jump rope, box jumps, and practice your jumping technique/form you should be able to dunk in the next year or two. Just depends on how naturally athletic you are. If you do the things stated above I see no reason why you shouldnt be able to with average/good natural athleticism. Good luck.

[Bigg_Matt]

6'5"

can't jump worth sh*t

[tomlefco]

I just turned 15 and am in 9th grade. I am 6' 2.5" and weigh 178 lbs. I am the center on my high school's JV basketball team.

I was wondering if I should be able to dunk. My friends all think that I should, but they are all shorter than me and don't really know how it is.

Please reply:
Should I be able to dunk?
how can I increase my vertical jump

5'11.5" and i can dunk. i'm also a sprinter so i have a tad bit of leg strength. i've been 5'11" since 9th grade but i couldn't dunk till my senior year. 2 years later i'm into lifting and collegiate sprinting. only helps

[squatnoob405]

I dont know if I totally agree with that. I have been playin ball and vball for awhile and I cant dunk, and never have been able to. Im 6'2 and can palm a bball. I can also jump 1 footed or 2. I admittedly have no hops(obviously since i cant dunk), but to say it should be easy, i dont know about that.

to the op, I have made gains in my hops but never stuck to it long enough. But what I've learned is 2 fold. First, if you dont have adequate leg strength then work on that. Try and get your squat up to 1.5x bodyweight if it isnt already there. Then do some plyos. Try the p90x plyo video. You dont need boxes or anything. Just some space to hop around for an hour. Wicked cardio workout aswell.

i also mentioned that you have to be lean. like 10% BF lean.

[Fatboy2004]

no I don't think you should be able to dunk some people just do not
have natural athleticism I've been playing basketball for a long time now I was able to dunk my freshman year of high school I also have natural 38 inch vertical and I hAve a Long reach. just because you are tall does not mean you can dunk. never listen to short people because most have never even touch the rim. what I would do is study the biomechanics of the vertical leap the human body is like a machine you'd be surprised how much you can accomplish

[MadaFitness]

You are still young and growing, so you are still developing. I was 6'6'' at the age of 15, and couldn't dunk (i was over 300 pounds, that's why), but I got in shape and I played college basketball and profeessionally overseas, but i'm really into fitness now. Below is a good program for you to just add some base power and strength, before you get into some serious stuff like power lifts and plyometrics. this will build up your core strength, which is VERY important in basketball.


Athlete workout:
Upper body (pushing):
-One arm dumbbell bench press with both feet elevated straight in the air 12, 10, 8, 6
*keep core tight. Feet straight out at 45 degree angle. Use off arm to balance on heavier sets.
*superset with explosive clap push ups (5-6 reps)
-One arm/single leg standing shoulder press (balance on opposite leg) 12, 10 ,8, 6
- heavy dips (2 sets narrow, 2 wide) 8, 8, 4-6, 4-6
- alternating Incline dumbbell bench with both feet elevated 12, 10, 8
- standing barbell shoulder press 10, 8, 6
- one arm one leg side raises (opposite arm and leg) 12, 10, 8
- Tricep skull crushers 12, 10, 8

*Core:
Weighted swiss ball crunches 20, 15, 12, 10, 8
Hanging leg raises 4x max reps. Add weight if over 20 reps
Cable twists 3x10 each side
Bridge routine. Front and both sides 30 seconds each. 3 times no rest in between any set. Make sure core stays very tight





Lower body (both legs):
- Explosive box squats with bands 10, 8, 6, 3, 3, 3, 3
*superset with jump squats (4-6 reps)
- Deadlifts 12, 10, 8, 6, 2-4
- *superset with stiff leg jumps 6-8 reps
- Leg press 15, 12, 10, 8
- Leg extensions 15, 12, 10, 8
- Leg curls 15, 12, 10, 8
- Calf raises 15, 12, 10, 8

Upper body (pulling):
-Heavy pull ups: 15, 12, 10, 8. 4-6, 4-6
*superset with med ball slams (6-8 reps)
-barbell rows 12, 10, 8, 4-6
- single arm single leg lat cable pull/row 10, 8, 6
- single arm cable lat pull down (sitting on swiss ball) 10, 8, 6
- cable rows- standing on bosu ball 12, 10, 8
-face pulls 12, 10, 8
- shrugs 12, 10, 8
- bicep curls on bosu ball (one leg on soft part) 15, 12, 10, 8

*core
Rope crunches 15, 12, 10, 8, 8
Decline bench leg raises with dumbbell between feet 12, 10, 8, 8
Decline bench plate twists 3x16
Bridge routine. Normal front bridge 10 seconds, one arm opposite foot 10 seconds, other arm opposite foot 10 seconds, side bride, other side bridge. That’s one round do three with no rest in between

Lower body (single leg):
-single leg split squat: 15, 12, 10, 8, 4-6, 4-6
*superset with split squat jumps 4 reps each leg
- Single leg Deadlifts 12, 10, 8, 6, 2-4
*superset with stiff leg one leg hops 4-6 reps each leg
- Step ups 15, 12, 10, 8
*superset with explosive step ups 10 reps
- Single Leg extensions 15, 12, 10, 8
- Single Leg curls 15, 12, 10, 8
- Single leg Calf raises 15, 12, 10, 8