How high do you need to jump to dunk?
Enter your height or standing reach. The calculator tells you how many inches of vertical you need to touch the rim, dunk, and dunk with two hands on a regulation 10-foot hoop.
How the math works
Every dunk comes down to one subtraction: how high your hand has to get, minus how high it already is when you stand flat-footed.
- Rim height: 120 inches on a regulation hoop.
- Clearance: your hand needs to get above the rim. About 6 inches is enough if you can palm the ball. Without palming, or for two hands, plan on 8 to 10 inches.
- Standing reach: how high your fingertips reach flat-footed with one arm up. If you haven't measured it, the calculator estimates it as 1.33 times your height. Arm length varies a lot, so measure it if you can.
Vertical needed = rim height + clearance − standing reach.
Standing vs. running vertical
Most dunks happen off an approach, so compare the number above to your running vertical. The gap between your standing and running jumps also tells you what's holding you back. In the Vertical Jump Bible's Reactive Resource assessment:
| Running jump vs. standing | Profile | What to train |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 10% higher | Strength-dominant | Reactive work: depth jumps, bounds, single-leg hops |
| 10–20% higher | Balanced | Alternate strength and reactive phases |
| More than 20% higher | Plyometric-dominant | Maximal strength: heavy squats, slow eccentrics |
Not sure what your verticals are? Follow the vertical jump test guide to measure both in five minutes.
How to close the gap
If you're 4 to 8 inches short, a focused program can realistically get you there. The fastest route depends on your limiting factor. Weak athletes gain the most from building squat strength toward 1.5× bodyweight. Strong athletes who jump "heavy" gain the most from reactive training. Doing the wrong one wastes months.
Find your limiting factor and follow the exact program
Vertical Jump Bible 2.0 puts Kelly Baggett's full system on your iPhone. It includes 4 assessments that find your limiting factor and 24 programs, among them the 40 Inch Blueprint. It also has 270 exercises with demo videos and live workout tracking, so you can watch your vertical climb.
Download on the App Store