Dunking a basketball is a form of art for many. It is often something many average-sized men dream of, that can only be achieved through intense workouts. A dream that just won’t go away.
Being able to dunk is proven to not only be one of the most effective ways to score in basketball, it is also one of the most beautiful plays to ever witness in the sport. Not everyone can dunk and it is something a lot of people hope to achieve someday.
I used to be just like you, just some average person who just had a dream to have the ability to dunk. After going through some vertical jump programs such as [Vert Shock] and [The Jump Manual], I feel like a superstar. I feel like I am the king of the world.
How tall do you have to be to dunk
This is an argument that is heavily debated by many. I currently stand at roughly around 6”1 and after doing lots of hard work, I am able to dunk with ease. I honestly feel like this sort of question is often out of its place.
You need to look at players like…
- Nate Robinson (5”9)
- Allen Iverson (6”0)
- Ty Lawson (5”11)
- Spud Webb (5”7) – the shortest to ever do it
When Nate Robinson was in the NBA he was actually one of my favorite players to watch just because of his hard work and determination. One of my favorite moments was when he was carrying the Chicago Bulls during the 2013 NBA season. Even though I am 4-5 inches taller than Nate Robinson he really inspired me and made me believe that if he could do it, I can too. I mean he dunked over SHAQ, we are talking about THE DIESEL right now.
I mean just look at this man, he can truly fly
Obviously, I can’t forget about the shortest player to ever win the dunk contest, Spud Webb. In 1986, he beat one of the best dunkers of all time, his own teammate, Dominique Wilkins. During the dunk contest, a commentator himself said, “He makes it hard for anybody to argue that he is too small for basketball”. Throughout his time, he motivated a whole new generation of NBA basketball players. He showed everybody that you are never too small to dunk the ball.
There are obviously factors that you need to take into consideration that do determine whether you can dunk or not, but for the most part it is all about the determination.
If you do want to look at the factors, there are two. They are your vertical jump of course, and your standing reach. Height of course also plays some role.
I will break it down by difficulty.
VERY HARD
If you are 5”9 or under, It isn’t impossible but dunking at this height is very, very tough. You would need to jump around 30 inches to be able to just touch the rim, and to be able to dunk you would need to be able to jump over 35 inches. Even then, you would probably only be able to get 1 or 2 dunks in before your legs got tired, so you would probably need to be able to produce over a 40”+ vertical to dunk.
HARD
If you are roughly around 5”10 and 6”1, dunking becomes easier. Although it does become easier, it is still hard and even in the NBA, most players around this height don’t even attempt to dunk because of the risk of injury and fatigue.
A fun fact for you to know that although most of these players don’t attempt it, they can still dunk, they just keep it to themselves behind the scenes.
A rough estimate suggests that you would need to be able to jump roughly around 25 inches to touch the rim, 30+ inches to dunk, and to just be sure, you would most likely need over 35”+ inches to be able to dunk comfortably at that height.
Ultimately, although it is most certainly possible and a little bit easier, it is still challenging and will still take a lot of effort to be able to get to this spot
MODERATE
If you are around the height of 6”2 and 6”4, you are at the moderate level. At this height you should start to feel more comfortable when it comes to dunking and it should come easy with DUNK TRAINING of course.
At this height you would find NBA players and NFL players jumping high heights with ease. Although these players have been training their whole life and they are gifted with athletic ability, make no mistake, it will still take a lot of training, but it will come off more naturally.
I would say that you should try and reach 30”+ to dunk comfortably.
EASY
At this point of difficulty, you should expect to be able to dunk with ease. If you are 6”5 and higher, you should be at a very good spot. Although you are at this height, you still need to expect to be physically ready with training.
In my opinion, I believe that it doesn’t really matter at the end of the day. Your height shouldn’t tell you whether or not you can dunk, it should be YOU who can determine that. If you are willing to put in the effort, if you are willing to train and put in the time, you can achieve anything. Although height does help, it will be your determination and effort that will determine whether or not you can dunk.
Personally, I am 6”1 and I would be placed under the HARD difficulty level. I must say, that it was very hard and it definitely took some time to be able to reach the vertical I needed.
How High Do You Need To Jump To Dunk
There are multiple factors that help you decide this. First you need to know your standing reach, second you need to know your vertical.
In the previous section, I went over how tall you need to be in order to dunk. As I said previously, although taller heights do help you dunk, at the end of the day it doesn’t really matter because only YOU can determine that. If you are willing to put in the work, you can do anything.
According to the National Center for Health Statistics, it has been reported that the average height for an adult male is 5”7. The average height for both male and female is reportedly 5”5. In dunking standards, this would put you under Very Hard difficulty. It isn’t impossible but to be able to dunk at this height is very tough.
A basketball hoop is 10 feet above the ground. For the most part, you would need to be able to jump about 5-6 inches higher than the basketball hoop in order to be able to dunk effectively.
If you are on a journey to dunk a basketball or just measure your vertical in general, but you aren’t aware of how many more inches you need to be able to dunk a ball, don’t you worry.
On my journey to dunking, I went through a lot. Most of the time I was clueless and I didn’t really know how many more inches I needed to gain before I could dunk. I had to use some extra effort to determine that.
That is why I am offering you guys the chance to use this cool DUNK CALCULATOR! I have created this program for you guys so that you could determine how far you are until you can reach the heights you so desire. I want to make this mission easier for you so you don’t have to put in the extra effort that I had to.
The dunk calculator is a program that is very easy to use. You will need to determine some specific information in order to use it, but once you have this information, you will be able to have an estimation of how much more vertical you would need in order to jump.
Before you continue to learn more about knowing how you can dunk, check out this proven vertical jump program, Vert Shock, now. Vert Shock is a vertical jump program designed to help you increase your vertical jump which will help you increase your vertical jump.
Measurements and Tools Required To Use The Dunk Calculator
You are going to need two things in order to know how much higher you would need to jump in order to dunk.
- YOUR Standing Reach
- The HEIGHT of the HOOP/RIM → this will most likely be 10 feet as this is the current standard with all basketball hoops. Some people do like decreasing the height of their hoop, so in that case, you would make sure to input the correct value in the calculator.
Now I know most of you don’t have your measurements of your standing reach just lying around, at least I know I don’t. That is why I included some instructions below on how you could possibly measure your standing reach.
How to measure your standing reach
You Need The Following:
- Tape measurer
- Any wall of your choice (preferably flat)
- Anything to mark your measurement (e.g. tape, pencil, etc.)
Steps Required To Measure Your Standing Reach:
- Place your body in front of any wall you so choose
- Make your that your feet are planted flat on the ground
- With a pencil in your hand – or whatever you choose to make your measurement with – reach your hand as high as you can with your feet planted on the ground, and make a mark with your pencil that is easily visible. This can also be done with one of your peers like a family member.
- At this point, you can back away from the wall and you can bring out your tape measurer to measure your standing reach.
- Make sure that you are measuring from the floor to the mark that you made on your wall.
- Whatever you see on your tape measurer, from the floor to the mark on your wall, this is your standing reach.
Dunk Calculator
Here is The Dunk Calculator. Its main purpose is to help you figure out many inches you need to jump in order to dunk. I encourage you to use this tool because it truly does help and it will most certainly make your life easier towards your path to dunking
Check out this dunk calculator which is a tool that does all the calculations for you
In the results section it should tell you the required vertical jump you need in order to just touch the rim
Below that, it should tell you the required vertical jump you need in order to actually dunk a basketball.
Can You Dunk?
The next question you need to ask yourself after using the dunk calculator is, CAN YOU DUNK?
The majority of you will most certainly answer with NO, I CAN’T!
After viewing your results from the dunk calculator, do you need to increase your vertical in order to dunk?
Well I’ve got a solution for you! Let’s say that you need around 10-15 more inches in order to dunk, but you really don’t know how, well i’ve got a solution for you! You may just end up being on your way to dunking within the next few hours with just a few tips with sports professionals from the NBA and NFL.
There are Vertical Jump programs out there which give you a full on guide on how you could increase your vertical and ultimately dunk.
If you are looking for a program that is scientifically proven to work with years of research, from someone who has been studying the art of jumping almost his entire life, join Adam Folker now in his program called Vert Shock, so you can start your path now
If you want a program that provides you the ability to earn results without any sort of workout equipment, and best of all, a program that provides you with quick, yet successful results, I would personally say that Vert Shock is most certainly a very good option. Vert Shock is also a very good option and I recommend using this if you want to see quick results without weights. If you want to know more about Vert Shock, please make sure to check out my FULL review and rating on Vert Shock. Vert Shock is definitely a program that I can confidently recommend.
If you want to learn how to dunk in general, make sure to check out my guide on How To Dunk