Dunk Calculator

1. Enter your height in feet and inches.
2. Enter your standing reach (optional). Stand flat against a wall, reach both arms up with one hand higher than the other, and measure the fingertip distance from floor. If left blank, the calculator estimates standing reach as 1.32× your height (typical for adults).
3. Enter your current vertical jump. Stand under a wall, mark your standing reach. Jump and mark the highest point you touched. The difference is your vertical.
4. Set rim height (default is regulation 10 ft).
5. The calculator tells you if you can dunk, how far above or below the rim you are, and how much vertical jump you'd need to dunk cleanly.

To dunk a basketball, your maximum reach (standing reach + vertical jump) must exceed the rim height. To dunk cleanly (with control), you need to be roughly 6 inches above the rim so the ball clears.

Max Reach = Standing Reach + Vertical Jump

Touch the rim = Max Reach ≥ 120″ (10 ft)
Dunk cleanly = Max Reach ≥ 126″ (rim + 6″ ball clearance)

Standing Reach ≈ 1.32 × Height (typical)

Example: A 6'0" player (72") with a typical 95" standing reach.

• To touch rim: needs 120 − 95 = 25″ vertical
• To dunk cleanly: needs 126 − 95 = 31″ vertical
• NBA average vertical is ~28″; many shorter NBA players have 35″+ verticals

Vertical jump is highly trainable — most non-athletes can add 6-10 inches over 6-12 months with consistent work. The biggest gains come from improving rate of force development, not just absolute strength.

Three things most people get wrong about vertical training:

• You don't need more weight; you need more speed. Vertical jump is about rate of force development — how fast you can apply force to the ground. Heavy slow squats build raw strength; explosive plyometric work converts that strength to jump height.
• Calves and ankles are massively underrated. A weak calf complex is the #1 limiter for jumpers between 20-28 inches. Single-leg calf raises with weights, jump rope, and ankle mobility work pay dividends fast.
• Recovery matters as much as training. Plyometrics tax the central nervous system. Two heavy plyo sessions per week is plenty; more than that produces diminishing returns and risks injury. Sleep, protein, and light cardio on off days drive recovery.

Realistic expectations: a 22-year-old with no athletic background and a 20-inch starting vert can reasonably reach 28-30 inches in a year of focused training. A 35-year-old recreational athlete might gain 4-6 inches in the same period. Beyond 36 inches, gains slow dramatically and start to require advanced programming.