So, you grabbed the rim for the first time. What a great feeling. I remember the first time I was able to touch the rim and it was one of the best feelings I had ever experienced. But what felt even better, was the first time I was able to dunk the ball. One common question players ask is should you be able to dunk if you could grab the rim. Here’s your answer.
If you’re barely able to grab the rim, you need to take the time to increase your vertical leap. This is because in order to dunk, you need to get the ball 5-6 inches over the rim. If you’re unable to palm the ball, it might even be a little bit higher than 5-6 inches. This is because the ball is 9.5 inches itself from top to bottom.
Below we will get into other factors that people need to take into consideration when trying to dunk the ball.
What Can You Do To Get Those Extra Inches On Your Vertical Leap To Dunk?
There are a few different things you could do in order to get extra inches on your vertical leap. Lets go over them.
Practice Dunking The Ball
You can do all the strength and conditioning exercises that you want, but if you don’t practice dunking, you won’t get closer to your goal. From someone who went to touching the rim to dunking (I’m only 5’11) the thing I’ve done most is practice dunking. One thing that could really help is using an adjustable rim. Let’s say you can barely dunk on 9.5 feet, set your rim to that height and practice that dunk until it becomes easy.
There was a time where I couldn’t dunk on 9, and I kept practicing and finally after years of hard work, dunked on a 10 foot rim.
Mixture of Plyometrics and Strength Training
Let’s start off with plyometrics. Plyometrics is proven to increase the vertical leap. However, too many days in a row of plyometrics could be counter-productive, as your body will not be able to recover, and this could lead to injury. You want to do plyometrics twice, at most three times per week and spread each session out at least 48 hours for maximum recovery.
Next up is strength training which should be paired with plyometrics. The combination of strength training and plyometrics could help increase lower limb strength as well as lower body fat, which in return increases your vertical leap.
Although this information is good, knowing where to start is crucial. If you want to get into a training regimen for your vertical leap, you want to consult with someone who has the expertise to guide you in the right direction. Everyone is different and one program may not work for you, which is why it’s important to get the help of a trained professional.
Increase Your Ability To Palm The Ball
The better you could palm the ball, the less you have to get up to dunk the ball. You could do this by increasing the strength and flexibility of your hands. Here are some ways you could do both.
Stretch your fingers
Take your fingers and push them against a wall, the door, or any hard surface. Hold that position for 10-30 seconds while pulling your fingers back at the same time. This can be done 2 to 3 times per day and it will help increase flexibility in your hands which will make you able to palm the ball easier.
Use a Grip Strengthener
Using a grip strengthener tool will help increase the strength of your fingers and hand, helping to make it easier for you to palm the ball. The great part about this is you could use it while sitting down on the couch and watching basketball.
Practice Palming The Ball
Last but not least, put your stretching and new found strength to use by practicing palming the ball. Just like practicing dunking, the more you practice palming the ball, the better you’ll get. Set goals for how many seconds you could palm the ball, and slowly try to increase that number.
Work On Jumping Off Of One Foot and Reaching The Hoop With One Hand
One thing I learned in the process of trying to dunk the ball is that when you go off of two feet, and hold the ball with two hands, it limits your reach. If trying off of two feet is your go to method, practice jumping off of one foot and reaching the hoop with one hand. This will increase your vertical leap because one arm reaching up goes further than two hands holding the ball up.
How High Above The Rim Do You Need To Get For a Two Handed Dunk?
When you reach above your head with two hands holding the ball, It’s typically about 2 inches shorter than when you reach with just one hand. Reaching with one hand gives you a wider range of motion because you’re able to put all of your energy into stretching your arm out and you don’t have to worry about coordinating both arms together. This is why for shorter players it’s hard to dunk the ball with two hands unless you have a very good vertical leap.
You still have to get the ball above the rim as much as you do when using one hand, but due to the lack of reachability with two hands, your jump has to be a little bit higher in order to dunk the ball. So if it takes you a 36 inch vertical leap to dunk with 1 hand, you may have to take it to 38 inches in order to dunk cleanly with two hands.
In summary
If you could barely grab rim, you have a little bit work to do when it comes to dunking. If you use the tips above, you could increase your strength, flexibility, and vertical leap, making it easier for you to get the ball up and over the rim. Don’t wing a workout regimen though, make sure you get the proper help from a strength and conditioning coach or professional trainer.
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