The Kona qualifying thread got me thinking, how many ST’ers can dunk a basketball? On a regulation 10 foot basket, I don’t care about your mad nerf skillz. It’s hardly an elite accomplishment, Spud Webb is all of 5ft 4in so I doubt anyone can claim size is their limiter.
If you can’t dunk, what’s your excuse?
I’m 5’ 4" and I can’t dunk because every time I try I end up smashing my knees on the backboard and it hurts. I think I’m doing it wrong.
yes, quite easily. I’m 6’3 and played volleyball in HS along with running Cross and track.
I can dunk a marble.
Came close in HS but was probably a good 3 inches away from sucess. What stopped me? Desire.
Yes, I can submerge a basketball under water with relative ease.
I could when I was younger and could jump. My 41 year old ass would barely touch the net now.
Nope. Can’t dunk. White Man’s Disease.
I could when I was younger and could jump. My 41 year old ass would barely touch the net now.
x2. though my ass is only 35.
I can dunk a marble.
Came close in HS but was probably a good 3 inches away from sucess. What stopped me? Desire.
This.
Never came close to dunking, but I have hung on the rim a few times back in HS, the one year our track coach was the football coach. We did about 45 minutes of plyometrics before every practice, and my jumps went through the roof (as my mile and 2 mile times stagnated badly, go figure).
The Kona qualifying thread got me thinking, how many ST’ers can dunk a basketball? On a regulation 10 foot basket, I don’t care about your mad nerf skillz. It’s hardly an elite accomplishment, Spud Webb is all of 5ft 4in so I doubt anyone can claim size is their limiter.
If you can’t dunk, what’s your excuse?
Wrong forum. Dunking is pure fast-twitch explosive power, and this is triathlon, and the SLOWtwitch boards.
If you’re a SHORT guy who can dunk on these forums, I can guarantee that you’re not a high-level triathlete. Either you’re spending way too much time on the wrong type of activitiy for tri, or you’re so purely fast-twitch fiber that you’ll necessarily have a paucity of endurance fibers.
I can’t dunk. My excuse? I don’t care to put in the work to improve my hops. At 41 years of age, I have more important things to do.
I am just shy of 5’9" and can’t get near the rim anymore. 20 years ago in college, I could dunk a tennis ball. I was riding back then, running a little. But more importantly, I was playing volleyball 4 times a week, but doing no other specific jump training. It is amazing how having to jump a lot improves one’s ability to jump. My vertical jump was 34 inches. I don’t even want to know what it is now. I would probably hurt myself if I attempted to figure it out.
To put this in perspective:
Me: 5’9", 145 pounds, 34" vertical leap.
J.J. Watt (highly rated Defensive End out of UW-Madison): 6’5", 290 pounds, 37" vertical leap. (numbers from this year’s combine - he also ran the 40 in 4.84 seconds)
Yeah but I’m 6’7’’
.
Yes, I can submerge a basketball under water with relative ease.
With one hand, arm fully-extended?
5’10" and could dunk two handed when I was in HS. Was really close to putting down reverses before I blew out my ankle.
I don’t even think about jumping anymore. Different training, different adaptations.
Can’t now, but could three years ago. I could only dunk if I lobbed it off the backboard to myself.5’ 11" - white, nerdy scientist.
But more importantly, I was playing volleyball 4 times a week, but doing no other specific jump training. It is amazing how having to jump a lot improves one’s ability to jump. My vertical jump was 34 inches. I don’t even want to know what it is now. I would probably hurt myself if I attempted to figure it out.
What would this entail? I ask in all seriousness. My son is approaching 6 ft and playing AAU. He works hard at all the other skills and has some game. But is jumping high really a skill? I imagine there are excercises that can improve it but I’ve always really thought you were either born to dunk or not. He’s surely not gonna get that skill from me 
edited to add that he’s got freakishly long arms and fingers and can already palm the ball.
I’m 6’1’’ and it never bothered me that I couldn’t dunk… Until now. Damn you.
How does one go about getting “ups”?
Plyometrics of some sort. Google “jump training” and you will be reading for days. But it really is about building that 1 second power.
With specific training, a person can add several inches to their vertical in a VERY short amount of time. Just don’t go overboard. Better to undertrain than overtrain with these types of exercises.
Here is a program specifically for basketball:
Jumping is definetely a skill. Just over 8ft is the world record…**Yes, I used Wikipedia 
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