Basketball is one of the most famous team sports around the world. It originated in Springfield, Massachusetts, and is highly followed by millions of people. Basketball’s popularity has also inspired many people to start their basketball careers at a young age.
There are a lot of basketball plays, tricks, and gimmicks that are popular, but the most admired by the majority of basketball fans are plays that involve a dunk. Basketball dunks are very famous, making aspiring amateur basketball players try to learn it even at a young age.
Before you can successfully perform a dunk, you first have to ensure that your body can keep up with the conditions and needed skills that should be met. Here are few tips so that it would be possible to show your dunking skills.
1. Develop your body through exercise
An athlete’s selling point depends on the condition of his/her body. A stronger and healthier body means more years for their careers. For basketball players, a strong body is needed because basketball is a physical sport and players are very prone to injuries. We have also seen a lot of athletes retiring after an injury or never being able to have the same performance post-injury. So for aspiring basketball players, it is important to focus on your training regimen.
A basketball player’s physique must be well-rounded, with a complete mix of the upper body and the lower body strength. For example, when a basketball player dunks a ball, they have to use the explosive strength of their legs to achieve a certain height and the upper body takes the burden of maneuvering the ball in midair. Your training regimen must also emphasize core body strength as well to further protect your body from injuries. Finally, a great portion of your regimen must focus on your legs since basketball players have a high tendency to injure their legs more than any other body part. Training your body to become stronger is a good investment as an athlete.
2. Follow a proper diet
A well-balanced diet is also important in athletes, although some athletes may prefer to focus more on proteins since this helps a lot in muscle repair and development. If you opt to go for a protein-based diet, you will lose essential vitamins and minerals which are only found in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. If you feel that you are lacking in proteins and have low energy levels, you can also try supplements that will help boost your energy such as Instant Knockout. Knowing more information on Instant Knockout can help you lose fat and increase your energy levels.
Having and maintaining a proper diet designed for an athlete is a very essential part of ensuring the body’s health. With the good quality food that you intake, your body will be in its best condition for any upcoming game.
3. Read up on the latest trends
For aspiring athletes or sports enthusiasts, learning the trends of your sport is also important. Mental aptitude is also an important factor in any sport. You cannot simply be good at any sport by just being physically dominant. You also need to improve your game IQ to be able to pull off different plays and strategies and make the best out of any situation you are placed in. By reading up on the newest trends in sports, you can find out different ways how the professionals are playing, what their strategies are, how they handle the training, and their daily life at the same time. It is also important to know the training programs of professional athletes so that you can also gain the same skillset that they have in order to further improve your game. By learning more about these training programs, you will be able to do it yourself and have great progress in return.
4. Test your maximum limits
Once you have done your best in maintaining your diet and training regimen, it is time to put your efforts to the test. One of the easiest ways to know if you improved physically is by trying to dunk a basketball. If you have not done it before training yourself, then you might actually do it if you have trained your body well.
Now that you are ready, here are the important points to keep in mind to successfully dunk that basketball.
How to Dunk a Basketball
Before trying to attempt a dunk, you must first try how high you can jump. Try reaching the backboard by jumping as high as you can. If you managed to tap the backboard, then you might actually pull off a dunk.
For starters, it helps to make a running start before jumping since it helps you gain momentum. After taking a few steps, try jumping on your left foot if you are right-handed, and do the opposite if you are left-handed. By doing so, it ensures that you will be able to fully stretch your arm out while holding the ball and effectively transfer the momentum from your lower body to your upper body.
Finish the dunk by ramming the ball straight down into the basket. After this comes the most important part: landing. Try to land on both of your feet to equally distribute the force of landing on the ground. If you try to land on one foot and slip, you will surely have a sprain or worse, a broken bone. One-legged landings are done only if you have strengthened your legs enough or if you have been dunking for a long time that your body has gotten used to it.
More than just a sport, basketball has been a way of life for some people, especially for aspiring professional athletes. Many of these aspirants start training as early as their teenage years and build their skills and reputation in hopes of getting sports scholarships to get into good schools that are known for their great coaches, advanced training programs, and luxurious facilities. All of these are important factors that build up an athlete but we all know that the most important factor is one’s dedication and efforts for self-improvement.