Your approach to training should follow this basic plan:
- Take a starting measurement
- Set a target
- Train with exercises you can safely perform
- Record your progress
- Repeat until you hit your target
Take a starting measurement
Before you start to work on improving your jump, the first step is to measure your current vertical jump to get a baseline. This is important so you know what you're starting with. You should continue to measure your jump at least once a week, so you can clearly see your progress.
There are several different methods of measuring your jumps – some require special equipment, but you can also just use a wall and marker or piece of chalk.
Set a target
You need to figure out how high you need to jump so that you can get your hand about 15 cm above the hoop. To do this, measure your standing reach, or estimate it based on your height, and then use our Dunk jump height calculator to determine the required jump height, assuming a standard basketball hoop height. This is what you're working towards.
Needless to say, your standing reach has a huge influence on whether dunking is going to be easy or practically impossible. The world record for a running jump is approximately 50 inches (127 cm) by Darius Clark in 2022, so you could expect this to be the theoretical maximum you could possibly aim for.
Train with exercises you can safely perform
There are several different ways to improve your jump ability – some people prefer to focus on resistance training like weighted squats, while others prefer plyometric exercises like box jumps. We'll get into the different types of exercises and their effectiveness and pros/cons soon, but every person is different and it's really up to you to decide.
Remember though that jump training, and especially plyometrics or repeated jumps, puts heavy peak loads on your knees. Because of this, it's advisable to space plyometric training out to 2–3 times per week. It's important to train in a controlled, progressive way as much as possible, so you can maintain proper form. Do not increase the intensity if you experience any pain at the current intensity, and consider talking with your doctor before starting.
Record your progress
Training can produce large improvements at the start, but then the rate of improvement slows down. This is true for basically all skills, and can be discouraging when the initial excitement wears off. It's a good idea to record your progress on a regular basis, not just to see how far you've come, but also to help decide if a particular training exercise is working for you or not.
It can also be helpful to record your weight too – this has a huge impact on how high you can jump, and since weight naturally fluctuates from day to day, so will your jump performance.
Repeat until you hit your target
This is where your persistence comes in. It could take a long time to get to where you need to be. But if it's within the realms of possibility, then it's just up to you and what you put into your training. Good luck.