Sports

Spud Webb Dunk or How to Spike a Basketball

Remember Spud Webb winning the NBA Slam Dunk contest in 1986? At just 5’6″!, Spud beat defending champion Dominique Wilkins with a variety of nasty dunks: a one-handed 360, a two-handed double pump, and a reverse double pump 180, just to name a few.

So, it’s clear that you don’t need to be very tall to dunk. It’s all about the vertical jump: your vertical jump! And most importantly – you can train it! You can increase your vertical jump. If you disagree on this point, you don’t need to read any further.

Spud Webb had a 42-inch vertical, what’s yours? To find out, stand near a wall and stretch your arm above your head. Now, mark the top point of your hand on the wall. Lower your hand and mark your fingers with a little chalk or paint. Now jump as high as you can and touch the wall with your hand. The distance between the two marks is your vertical.

Good, now you know where you are and where you want to be.

The next step is your overall fitness. Your legs must be strong enough to assume a vertical program. You also have to lose the extra kilos (if you have them).

To do this, jog and jump rope 3 times a week (jog: minimum 45 min. 3 times a week; jump rope: 100 jumps 3 times a week)

Jump rope not only gives you explosiveness and calf strength, but it’s also a great way to build stamina and work on overall leg strength.

Other very effective exercises are calf raises and squats, as they train the most important muscle groups in the jumping process. Do these exercises from time to time (on days you don’t run).

Important note: do not overdo it (max. 1 set of 8 repetitions 2 times a week)! After 2-3 weeks your legs should be ready for an upright program.

Now you can try exercises like this:

Stand up straight and jump as high as you can without bending your knees (they will bend a bit). As soon as you hit the ground, jump back up. Repeat the movement several times. This exercise is very effective in strengthening the lower leg muscles.

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