How to Improve Vertical Jump for Dunking

Basketball players skilled at vertical jumps can burst into a dunk when near the basket. The characteristics of truly great dunkers include a height of over six feet tall, a lean body with less than 10 percent body fat, and strength in the impact points of the hips, calves, and thighs. Improving your vertical jump involves stretching to improve muscle fitness while preventing injury, building up muscle in those impact areas, and increasing overall cardiovascular fitness.

Things You'll Need

  • Gym access
  • Basketball
  • Basketball shoes
  • Workout apparel
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Instructions

  1. Stretching

    • 1

      Warm up for five minutes by doing jumping jacks or jogging in place prior to beginning the stretching sequence. Begin the stretches with the calves. Step your left foot back two feet and lean on a pole for balance and stability. Keep leaning forward until you feel the muscles in the extened leg stretching. Switch legs and repeat the procedure. Increase the power of this stretch by bending the knee of the extended leg to also work on the achilles tendon.

    • 2

      Move on to hamstring stretches. Put your left foot on a pole just below waist height. Lean forward to touch the toes of the elevated foot. Move on to toe touches, keeping the legs as straight as possible and reaching towards the toes until the muscles begin to ache. Do not bounce or jerk in an attempt to reach the toes. This may cause injury.

    • 3

      Stretch your quadriceps by placing a hand on the pole. Grab your left leg behind you and hold until you feel the stretch. Switch legs and repeat the stretch.

    • 4

      To stretch the back, lay down on your back and pull your left leg to your chest and hold until you feel the stretch. Release the left leg and repeat the stretch with the right leg.

    Exercises

    • 5

      Two days a week, focus on plyometric exercises. Plyometric exercises simulate the movements the human body uses during sports but add on more weight resistance. A simple example would be doing jumping exercises with hand weights in your hands. As your strength builds, gradually increase the weight and intensity of your plyometric exercises.

    • 6

      Establish regular exercises involving a basketball court and hoop. Run and jump up to touch the net and repeat for a set of 10. When you reach that goal, aim for a jumping target of the backboard. The next goal is to jump and touch the rim of the net.

    • 7

      When rim jumps become easy, begin trying to dunk objects lighter and smaller than a basketball. Start with a volleyball or other small sports ball and work your way up to using an actual basketball.

    • 8

      Improve and increase your aerobic fitness level through jumping rope and wind sprints. Wind sprints should be done on a track marked out for 70 meters. Sprint the first 60 meters and walk the final 10 before turning around and repeating the process. Do five sets of wind sprints initially and work up to more sets as your fitness level improves.