Special shoutout to my uncle, Mike Patrick, who has been editing every article you’ve read by me for years!
He just published Full Speed Behind, a fiction book about a boy who runs backwards. I read it cover to cover on a flight recently and I was hooked. I hope he continues the series, and I hope you enjoy it!
***
I realize most people are not trying to dunk, but I believe this article may still provide some value for you in terms of powering up against gravity for the rest of your life.
This article breaks down into 5 parts.
Part 1 is the least obvious.
Through my teens I was trying to dunk but no one ever taught me this step.
Only in my early 20s when I was training with the purpose of NO MORE KNEE SURGERY did I stumble on what would ultimately unlock my true vertical potential.
DEEP KNEE STRENGTHENING
I can’t change your height.
I can’t change your genetics.
Those are the two biggest factors in dunking.
But number 3 is KNEE PROBLEMS.
And I CAN change your knees.
To summarize 13 years of experiments, what I see work best is the following progression…
Backward walking progression from lesser to greater speed/effort:
Backward step-up progression from less height and greater assistance to greater height and less assistance:
Deep split squat progression from greater height and greater assistance to less height and loading:
And deep squat loading progression, with particular attention to CONTROLLING the last quarter of the rep:
When your knee is over your toes and when your leg bends below parallel, your knees and surrounding muscles have particular demand.
For decades, mainstream education taught us to avoid these positions.
That was based on fear, not the science of how a body works.
Now we know that those two positions are OPPORTUNITIES to change and BUILD your knees and surrounding muscles.
Having a step-by-step ROUTE was the missing link.
Now we have that.
Now people from all walks of life can better power up against gravity.
I and many others are now finding we have completely different athletic potentials than we assumed.
At 20 I had never been close to dunking.
I now fully believe I will be one of the most athletic 40-year-olds to walk this earth.
This would be IMPOSSIBLE from a system of avoidance.
Anyone can apply Part 1 to help people from all walks of life.
Part 2 is dunk-specific.
Michael Jordan could palm a basketball.
I can’t palm a basketball.
Therefore, when I approach the rim to dunk, I CANNOT SWING MY ARMS like he could because I have to use both hands to hold the ball.
Many failing dunkers don’t realize they’re HOLDING BACK their full jump effort because they literally slow down to hold the ball.
A regulation size but FOAM basketball can be a breakthrough for your practice quality.
If your KNEES can handle it, an easy-to-palm ball might allow you to run faster into your jump and then jump with the use of your arms, resulting in greater FORCES through your legs, resulting in greater adaptation over time.
So with Part 1 and 2 we knock out the two primary barriers to you TELLING YOUR BODY YOU TRULY WANT TO DUNK.
And over time, this may make you bouncy enough to dribble up and easily get up over the rim.
Part 3 is another common reason for not giving full effort.
I’ll summarize it as “adrenaline.”
10 years of observation have shown me that how MENTALLY HYPED you are to dunk is a big factor in the results from your weekly attempts.
A group setting tends to work better than by yourself.
Playing some brief but competitive sport tends to work really well.
I have also seen a boost from plenty of sleep and - if you’re a caffeine-drinker - NOT overdoing caffeine the rest of the week so that you get the positive effects on dunk day.
These are all just factors.
You can overcome any of them, but they’re worth mentioning.
Part 4 is LOWER LEGS.
Almost anyone has room for extra boost here.
This breaks down into 3 main sections: standing calf, seated calf, and tibialis.
When it comes to fighting gravity, when in doubt: MORE ABILITY FROM THE GROUND UP!
And Part 5 is your POSTERIOR.
I do 4 main exercises here: Nordics, full-stretch Romanian Deadlifts, hamstring curls, and back extensions.
There are many ways to effectively train your posterior.
These are my top 4, but they’re not the only way.
I like the balance of strength and flexibility that these deliver.
So in describing my dunk strategy, I’ve also just shown you all the main lower body exercises I’ll do for the rest of my life.
Whether you’re trying to dunk or to be mobile as a grandparent, you’re fighting GRAVITY.
I hope this article helps that fight.
Yours in Solutions,
Ben
