How to Dunk a Basketball: The Exact Vertical Jump You Need by Height
Most people are 4–10 inches from dunking. Here is the exact vertical jump required by height, why standing reach matters more than height, and how to close the gap.
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Find out exactly how high you need to jump to dunk a basketball — and how many inches away you are right now.
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How it works
Enter your height and reach
Type your height in feet and inches, plus your standing reach if you know it. Leave reach blank and we estimate it from your height.
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Optionally enter your current vertical jump and body weight to unlock a full analysis, including hang time and takeoff energy.
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See your required vertical, your dunk gap in inches, your dunk archetype, and the physics behind your jump — instantly.
How Dunk Height Is Calculated
The core formula is simple: your required vertical equals the rim height (120 inches on a regulation 10-foot rim) plus the clearance you need above the rim, minus your standing reach. Standing reach — how high you touch flat-footed — is the single most important variable, not your height. Two players of the exact same height can need wildly different verticals depending on their arm length and shoulder mobility. Clearance is how far your hand has to rise past the rim. Just touching the rim needs 0 extra inches. A one-hand dunk needs roughly 6 inches above the rim so your hand clears it and guides the ball down. A two-hand dunk needs about 9 inches for control of both arms over the rim. Most people target the one-hand threshold first because it asks for the least extra height. A running approach adds roughly 3–5 inches of effective vertical over a flat-footed standing jump because it converts horizontal momentum into lift. This is why a running approach matters — it is not cheating, it is mechanics. The physics outputs (hang time and takeoff velocity) are derived from standard projectile-motion equations, treating your center of mass as a body in free fall after takeoff.
Required Vertical = (Rim Height + Clearance) − Standing Reach
Standing Reach ≈ Height × 1.33 (if not measured)
Approach Bonus ≈ +4 inches (running)
Hang Time = 2 × √(2h ÷ g)Example
A 6'0" player (72 in) with an estimated 96" reach needs a one-hand clearance of 6". Required vertical = (120 + 6) − 96 = 30 inches. With a 24" running vertical (effective 24 + 4 = 28"), the dunk gap is 30 − 28 = 2 inches short.
Worked examples
| Scenario | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Scenario A — 5'10" player, average reach | Reach 93.1" (est.), required 32.9", vertical 26" running (eff. 30") | 2.9" short — "Almost There" |
| Scenario B — 6'4" player who already dunks | Reach 101.1" (est.), required 24.9", vertical 28" running (eff. 32") | Surplus 7.1" — "Poster Dunk" |
| Scenario C — 5'8" player, exceptional vertical | Reach 90.4" (est.), required 35.6", vertical 38" running (eff. 42") | Surplus 6.4" — "Poster Dunk" |
| Scenario D — 6'0" player, standing vs running | Required 30", vertical 28": standing eff. 28" vs running eff. 32" | Standing 2.0" short → Running surplus 2.0" (Can Dunk) |
| Scenario E — 6'0" player, two-hand threshold | Clearance 9", required 33.2", vertical 30" running (eff. 34") | Surplus 0.8" — "Can Dunk" (two-hand) |
Conversion reference
| Height | Est. Reach | Vertical Needed | With Running Approach |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5'6" | 87.8" | 38.2" | 34.2" |
| 5'8" | 90.4" | 35.6" | 31.6" |
| 5'10" | 93.1" | 32.9" | 28.9" |
| 6'0" | 95.8" | 30.2" | 26.2" |
| 6'2" | 98.4" | 27.6" | 23.6" |
| 6'4" | 101.1" | 24.9" | 20.9" |
| 6'6" | 103.7" | 22.3" | 18.3" |
| 6'8" | 106.4" | 19.6" | 15.6" |
Quick facts
- The average NBA player has a standing vertical jump of about 28 inches, and a max (running) vertical closer to 35 inches.
- Nearly 100% of active NBA roster players can dunk, but only a small fraction of recreational players can.
- Standing reach averages about 1.33× a person's height, which is why reach — not height alone — drives whether you can dunk.
- A regulation rim sits at exactly 120 inches (10 feet) from the floor, the standard at every level above youth ball.
- A running approach typically adds 3–5 inches of effective vertical compared with a flat-footed standing jump.
From the blog
View all →Frequently asked questions
It depends almost entirely on your standing reach. For a 6'0" player with a typical 96" reach, dunking one-handed needs about a 30-inch vertical. Taller players or those with long arms need far less — a 6'6" player may need only around 22 inches. Enter your numbers above to get your exact figure.
Standing reach is how high you can touch while standing flat-footed with one arm fully extended overhead. Measure it against a wall in socks or bare feet, pushing your shoulder up and reaching as high as possible. It is a better predictor of dunking ability than your height, because arm length and shoulder mobility vary a lot between people of the same height.
No — standing reach matters more than raw height, and reach already bundles in arm length. Two people the same height can have reaches that differ by several inches. A shorter player with long arms and a big vertical can dunk while a taller player with short arms and a small vertical cannot.
For most adults between 5'10" and 6'2", a running vertical in the high-20s to low-30s of inches is the dunking threshold. A 28-inch vertical is roughly NBA-average and is enough for many average-height players with a running approach to throw one down.
A 1–3 step running approach typically adds 3–5 inches of effective vertical over a standing jump. The run-up lets you convert horizontal speed into upward lift through your final plant step, so the approach is genuine extra height, not a measurement trick.
Yes. A 5'10" player with an average reach needs roughly a 29-inch running vertical to dunk one-handed. That is above average but very achievable with focused jump training — plenty of 5'10" recreational athletes dunk.
Hang time is the total time your feet are off the floor during a jump. It comes from projectile motion: once you leave the ground, you are in free fall. Hang time equals 2 × √(2h ÷ g), where h is your jump height in meters and g is gravity (9.81 m/s²). A 30-inch vertical produces roughly 0.78 seconds of hang time.
Most untrained adults can add 10–15 inches over 3–6 months with structured training: heavy strength work (squats, deadlifts), explosive plyometrics (depth jumps, bounds), and technique work on a one- or two-step approach. Consistency and progressive overload matter more than any single drill.