This post is written by our guest blogger Ali. Ali is co owner and writer at bestbasketballmag.com .

When I was starting out in basketball, I made many mistakes. One of them was torturing my body in the name of playing like a monster.

In an effort to challenge myself to play better and contribute more to my team by getting more points, I started practicing really hard. But clearly, none of that was possible if I wasn’t working on getting my muscles trained properly to get that extra strength and power.

I was putting a lot of pressure on my muscles, and as a result, I got a really bad ligament injury. My doctor advised me to get proper rest and get an appropriate fitness plan, which included exercising the right to avoid any muscle damage in the future.

I have included 5 exercises that were particularly beneficial for me when I was trying to dunk a basketball more often. Instead of practicing more, I just started following these exercises and they gave me the necessary boost that I required to perform better, get more strength and vitality and improve the way I dunk the basketball.

I assure you, following these exercises will get you better results in no time. The only condition is that you truly need to give it your best try.

5 Exercises You Can Adopt to Improve Your Dunking

1. Skipping Rope

Skipping a rope frequently gives you exceptional strength. It also makes your muscles habitual of constant jump and gives your body the stamina to balance your weight while you’re on the top.

As you get habitual of moving upward quite often, it conditions your body to jump higher and develop a strong point. Even if you don’t have a particular longer height, you can still increase your chances of getting your dunk right every time just by practicing your jumps and training your body to manage the weight in the air.

My Recommendation

Perform at least 35 rope skips each day in the morning. Your body might hurt but all the pain would be worth it when you’re up there on the stage, getting an award for player of the match— thanks to your beautiful basketball dunks.

2. Box Hops

Box Hops is a kind of exercise that trains your body to achieve higher jumps and use the kinetic energy to increase your athletic movements. If you’re wondering what box hops are, don’t worry, I’m getting there.

Box Hops is an exercise in which an athlete takes up the challenge of running above any kind of hindrance, placed according to a certain height that can be handled by the athlete.

The athlete has to jump above it, then run at a flat surface and then again jump over it. This is beneficial when you have to practice avoiding certain hurdles in your way. Since the hurdles are placed at different heights each type, your body would automatically figure out a way to jump as higher as the hurdle requires it to be.

My Recommendation

Before you choose this type of exercise, perform a test and measure the height that you can easily get through. Choose an open location such as a park or desolate road. Place the hindrances every 20 meters and practice aggressively.

Once you are done practicing, change the hurdle locations and practice again. However, I’d advise that you get the right basketball sneakers for this to work if you don’t want to suffer a fall due to bad quality shoes.

3. Deep Knee Bends

Dunking isn’t just about jumping high. It is also about having the strength to be as flexible as you can and having proper control over your muscles. Sure you would love to jump high, but what would you do when you have reached there, how would you manage your body to give you enough time to dunk the basketball?

That’s why it is important to perform a proper exercise for your knees as well. Deep knee bends allow you to get that extra strength and flexibility in your knees that allow you to stay in the air by pulling up your weight properly.

My Recommendation

Stand straight by keeping your head and back completely straight. Next, bend your knees till your thighs appear to be corresponding to the ground. Stay in that position for a while, and then resort back to your original standing position by slowly rising up. Repeat these steps at least 15 times on each leg.

4. Upwards Downwards

Apart from knees, your legs need to have the elasticity and suppleness and must know how to maximize the vertical running to improve running speed even when there are hindrances. In this case, the hindrance might point towards the opposite players.

My Recommendation

A lot of basketball players swear by the upwards downwards trick. This technique is accomplished by walking upstairs really fast, and then getting back downstairs at the same speed.

What this trick does it that it builds the right amount of air and alerts your muscles to put all their energy in going upward and backward. As a result, your muscles build enough strength and give you the command to take charge of how much speed and energy you want them to take. If you want to go the extra mile, skip some steps in between. 

5. Jumping with Deep Knee Bend

Our next step would be to build speed while also maintaining flexibility and efficiency. We want to be more in control. We want our bodies to perform as we want it to do. We want it to reach high to dunk that basketball right into that basket. We want the stadium to roar our name.

How are we going to do that? By jumping with deep knee bend

My recommendation

Sit straight and bend your knees as much as possible. When your bottom touches the ground, instantly stand up. Repeat the steps rigorously at least 20 times to get the best effects.