The reason I ask is because I am about 6 feet tall and could dunk when I was a sophomore in high school. Then I started running and have not been able to really throw one down since I started running seriously. I know it has to do with slow twitch vs fast twitch muscles. But how many professional runners do you think could dunk?
I'd say it definitely depends on your speciality if you have one. I couldn't jump more than 12 inches when I was doing mileage. While messing around with my kids the other day I actually hit my head on the ceiling (8 ft.). I freaked out and did it two more times to see if I was dreaming. Now that I hardly run, I have a vertical of over 22 inches.
To answer the question, most of the 1500m guys, depending on height, might have a chance. Anyone running shortder distances than that can probably at least touch the rim, unless they're 5'2".
I think Bekele could definitely dunk.
Dale vos wrote:
I think Bekele could definitely dunk.
Actually Kenenisa can only touch the rim. Tariku can not only dunk but he has a nasty 360 dunk as well.
I think Nolan Swanson could touch the net......and was 7th team All-State in New York in basketball....
Juantorena could most definately dunk.
bwh27 wrote:
Actually Kenenisa can only touch the rim. Tariku can not only dunk but he has a nasty 360 dunk as well.
Hahaha. If Tariku can dunk, Mottram can dunk.
stember could dunk in hs
The thing about dunking is it's not just a question of height and vertical leap...you have to have huge hands that can palm the ball, too.
I'm less than six feet tall but I could dunk things that I could grab with one hand, like a volleyball or soccer ball. But my hands were too small to do that with a basketball, so the only way I could have done it was a two-handed dunk...and I couldn't jump high enough to do THAT.
Dunk what?
A donut?
A croissant?
Be careful what you ask for. What I've actually seen is just what Will said--distance runners in training not able to jump more than 12-15 inches from standing. I also remember a post from Ato Boldon on his site that practically nobody in HSI could dunk.
But there was this dude who posted on Charlie Francis site for a while. The guy was a MAJOR lifter, and apparently could do 700 pound box squats. And he had like a 45-48" vertical. He posted a photo with his shoulder almosr touching the rim.
Dude couldn't run or sprint worth shit. Jumping is for jumpers and running is for runners...and never the trains shall meet.
Certain names come to mind, such as Francis Obikwelu (6'5"), Johnny Gray, probably McMullen, but I wouldn't bet on an extensive list.
not funny
reverse slam-dunk, that is
everyone knows that as you develop your slow twitch fibers, you rob, or steal from the quick twitch group.
So, as you get up there in mileage, you go down in leaps and bounding. It's just a fact of life.
"Jumping is for jumpers and running is for runners...and never the trains shall meet."
Carl Lewis
mps wrote:
everyone knows that as you develop your slow twitch fibers, you rob, or steal from the quick twitch group.
So, as you get up there in mileage, you go down in leaps and bounding. It's just a fact of life.
Quite true. When I was a sprinter in college, I could dunk. And I don't just mean little pansy barely-get-your hand-over-the-rim dunks. I'm talking backwards, two-handed, windmills; I once even hit a 360 (a fluke, but still). I was all over it.
After college I started distance running and now I can't dunk at all. I can still grab the rim, but I can't even do one of those little pansy one-handed dunks.
So, all those elite distance runners are better athletes than myself, of course. And most of them probably have 400m speed that is as good as mine was when i was a sprinter. But with all that mileage they do, I'd say only the taller ones, like Mottram, could probably dunk a basketball.
i kinda like running wrote:
Quite true.
Actually, if you knew much about physiology you'd know this is quite untrue. But I digress.
Ok Ralph Wiggum. Technically the statement was untrue. You don't "rob" from your fast twitch. If you continue to train the fast-twitch in addition to the slow-twitch, you could still maintain the speed and verticle ability. But 99% of the time, if you shift to high mileage training, you lose your vert.
It doesn't matter as a dunk only counts for two points. The Big O was 6'5" and never dunked in an NBA game not because he couldn't but because he didn't see any point in it.
actually, there is a point to it. When you dunk, the ball will almost surely go in. where as, if you simply lay it up, it's much more likely to rim-out or get blocked. Dunking is not just a show-off move, it increases the likelihood of your basket going in when...especially when there is alot of traffic in the paint.