How a 5'5" Basketball Player Trained Himself to Dunk

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At 5’5”, Brandon Todd had a seemingly impossible goal: to be able to dunk a basketball.

“I didn’t have any role models my height, and that was the hardest thing for me. I didn’t see anybody like me that could do it,” says Todd in the short documentary FIVE/FIVE. Spud Webb was 5’7” when he won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest in 1986, and there are currently only two players in the NBA 5’9” or under.

Inspired by Russian powerlifters, Todd trained himself to dunk the ball through rigorous strength training, as well as running and jumping exercises. Over three years, Todd gained 85 pounds of muscle before he was finally able to dunk the ball. “I was willing to put myself through all this pain and anguish for that one moment to say: ‘I can do it.’”

FIVE/FIVE is a film by Chris Jurchak and 522 Productions. The filmmaking team was inspired by Brandon’s perseverance and decided to make the project with out-of-pocket expenses. They are currently working on a short documentary, Hellbent, the story of two DC brewers and their struggle to open a brewery in the nation’s capital.
 
That's crazy at 5'5''. Makes me feel bad about my work ethic, 6ft and can only putback dunk. Props to him.
 
Great story and he worked very hard 

lets not discount the fact that he must have 

some beastly genetics though
 
wish my body was able to handle the rigorous work it takes to accomplish that

2 hip surgeries and an achilles tear at 23 got me scared to ever try pushing myself to my limits ever again :\
 
I'm 5'8" 175, 30 y/o. I've always had freakishly good hops, but I've only dunked cleanly one good time, that was about ten years ago. I need to read up on the russian strength training so I can get a 2 hand dunk under my belt.
 
Props to the dude for a having a good work ethic, but he kind of reminds me of the guy Jacob tucker from Illinois college who kind of works out along the same routine. You never see them dunk off one leg . Everything they do is off of two feet and it is a off the bounce dunk -- no variety at all. Basically they are two foot dunkers, not one leg leapers because of the type of working out they do. If they were to stop working out for a few weeks they would lose the ability to dunk very fast. They have to stay on it (working out) constantly to keep the vertical leap where it is. But one thing you have to say is that they have a tremendous work effort.
 
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I've been telling short dudes if u want to dunk u better learn to squat. Heavy. More bball players need to utilize strength training because there are soo many benefits to it. My boy was shocked when i told him tim tebow has a higher vertical than Kobe and dwayne wade.
 
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If they wanted to improve their one leg, besides unilateral plyos, there are still unilateral compound movements like single legged deadlifts, bulgarian squats, and lunges
 
I've been telling short dudes if u want to dunk u better learn to squat. Heavy. More bball players need to utilize strength training because there are soo many benefits to it. My boy was shocked when i told him tim tebow has a higher vertical than Kobe and dwayne wade.

Verticals dont mean ****. Tebow will never come close to dunkin a ball the way wade can. Not ever even when wades knees r allll the way shot.
 
it's just an example of one of the benefits of strength training and how it can improve your athleticism. relax there lil buddy.
 
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Scott's Creations, Jump for STS or Mad Bounce 2 are better
 
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Was an obsession of mine in high school and early college. I am morbidly obese now, not dunking anything but at my best I could do a windmill, dunk off a pure vert on occassion, consistently off drop step or 1 approach step, 1 feet or 2 feet at 6'0 tall, dunked so well I could dunk in halfcourt sets, in traffic like even in a game of 21, just needed a bit of takeoff space. Everyone is different of course, but variations of plyo box jumps worked best for me. STS is just tons of different kinds of them, and has a basketball weight lifting program made to work in concert with the jump program.

Jack Cascio of twicethespeed.com just put out a program too. I didn't buy it, but I like his Youtube videos and he gives out a lot of good stuff for free so I wouldn't mind supporting him if I did
 
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