How to Dunk: A Joel Smith Q&A

Based on Episode 54 of the Just Fly Performance Podcast, a solo listener question-and-answer session with host Joel Smith.

If you want to know how to dunk, Joel Smith’s answer from this listener Q&A is not what most vertical-jump programs sell: go dunk. Across an episode built from audience questions, most of them about jumping, the through-line is that the dunk is a specific skill with its own rhythm, and that basketball players who actually want to throw one down are usually better off practicing the movement, preparing their tendons, and staying lean than chasing another block of plyometrics.

Key Takeaways

• Practicing the dunk beats extra plyometrics. The approach and takeoff have a specific rhythm you only groove by doing it with a ball.
• One-foot and two-foot dunking are different skills. Single-leg jumping tracks with sprinting and the posterior chain, not your squat number.
• Shin angle is the tell. Single-leg takeoffs live in negative or vertical shin angles; heavy squatting lives in forward ones.
• Prepare tendons with jumps, not just lifts. Jump circuits, tempo runs, and basketball itself build the bounce.
• Get lean, because fat doesn’t fly. Power-to-weight matters, and most jumpers want to sit below about ten percent body fat.

Practicing the dunk beats extra plyometrics

Asked directly whether an aspiring dunker should spend time on plyometrics or on dunking, Smith comes down firmly on the specific skill. The dunk approach is a coordination task, and coordination is trained by rehearsing it.

The answer is just practicing dunking. The rhythms that are associated with the dunk approach and takeoff and having a ball is very specific and important to practice.

He backs it with his own history. In his mid-twenties he was at his best in the weight room and on the track, far stronger and more explosive than in college, yet his one-foot dunking had quietly gotten worse because he had stopped playing.

The longer I go, the more I realize that dunking is also very specific. There are very specific rhythms associated with the takeoff, and specific muscle lengths and properties associated with the slam dunk takeoff.

He points to elite dunkers who barely touch traditional plyometrics, and notes that basketball is itself a jumping stimulus. Playing, in other words, is training.

You’ve got guys like Jordan Kilganon, who as far as I know doesn’t do plyos, just lifts weights and dunks. Some people say playing basketball is the most plyometric workout you can get.

One-foot and two-foot dunking are different skills

A listener whose single-leg jump was fading while his two-foot jump stayed strong gets a pointed diagnosis. Single-leg jumping is not a weight-room quality, and treating it like one can make it worse.

Single-leg vertical is more closely linked to your maximal top-end running speed and technique, and your ability to harness your posterior chain, than it is to a one-rep max in a lift.

The mechanical reason comes down to shin angle. The single-leg takeoff and the deep squat are almost opposite positions, so loading one hard does not automatically serve the other.

Single-leg jumping is very much about operating with shin angles that are either negative or close to perpendicular to the ground, while squatting is operating with shin angles that are a little bit forward, which is good for two-leg jumping.

His fix for a stalled one-foot jump is often subtraction rather than addition, paired with more sprinting and some soft-tissue work on the front of the body.

There are a lot of ways to get it back. How about stop squatting? Once I calmed down the deep squats, my single-leg vertical would always come around.

Prepare the tendons with jumps, not just lifts

For readying the lower-leg and knee tendons that a dunk hammers, Smith keeps it old-school and rhythmic. The preparation looks a lot like the sport it serves.

If you’re just doing jump circuits, jump circuits for time, or playing basketball, which was the original jump circuit. I like doing tempo, five to six two-hundreds, for high jumpers or for dunking to an extent.

The theme is volume of springy, submaximal work that teaches the foot, ankle, and knee to absorb and return force, rather than only grinding heavy lifts that never rehearse the bounce.

Get lean, because fat doesn’t fly

Finally, the least glamorous lever. Jumping is a power-to-weight event, and carrying extra mass you do not need is a direct tax on how high you get.

If you want to optimize your power to weight, probably below ten percent body fat. What do they say? Fat doesn’t fly.

He is quick to add a note of sanity: chasing the five to six percent of an elite high jumper takes enormous effort and stress, and for someone with a job and a family it is usually not worth it. Eat clean, manage stress, and settle in comfortably under ten percent rather than punishing yourself for the last few.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best way to learn how to dunk?
Practice dunking. Smith argues the approach and takeoff have a specific rhythm and specific muscle properties that you only develop by doing the movement with a ball, which is why he would take dunk practice over extra plyometrics for almost anyone.

Why is my one-foot dunk worse than my two-foot dunk?
Because they are different skills. Single-leg jumping is tied to top-end sprinting speed and the posterior chain and lives in negative or vertical shin angles, while two-foot jumping and heavy squatting live in forward shin angles. Training one does not automatically build the other.

Should I squat to jump higher for dunking?
Some strength helps, but Smith finds that heavy deep squatting can actually blunt a single-leg jump. When an athlete’s one-foot jump stalls, he often has them ease off deep squats, sprint more, and do soft-tissue work on the front of the leg.

How do I prepare my tendons and knees for dunking?
With springy, repeated, submaximal work rather than only heavy lifting. Smith uses jump circuits, tempo runs like five to six two-hundreds, and playing basketball itself, which he calls the original jump circuit.

Does body fat affect vertical jump?
Yes. Jumping is a power-to-weight event, so lower body fat generally means a higher jump. Smith suggests most jumpers aim comfortably below about ten percent without obsessing over the extreme low levels that carry a lot of lifestyle stress.

About the author

Joel Smith is the host of the Just Fly Performance Podcast and the founder of Just Fly Sports, a former collegiate strength and track and field coach focused on speed, power, and athletic development, including the vertical jump. Listen to the full Q&A episode on Just Fly Sports.