Pi Slama Jama

Super corny name I know.  But I wasted enough time trying to think of a good name so screw it, Pi Slama Jama it is.  I created it because I follow a couple dunk blogs which provide so much motivation.  Watching others achieve their goals definitely inspires me.  But it's kind of a hassle to follow other blogs, even if they have RSS feeds.  I thought it would be cool if I could make a site for the dunking community where everyone can push each other to reach their goals

Check it out: pislamajama.com.  My account is pislamajama.com/dj.

Any feedback is welcome!

Should I take Creatine?

As previously mentioned, my leg strength is a bit lacking.  A few days ago i squatted 195 lbs for 3 reps.  I didn't do my max at the time, but it's probably 210.  My weight is 175 lbs.  So, the ratio of my squat to my weight is about 1.2, a far cry from the 'minimum' 1.5 that most jumping manuals suggest.

I was speaking about my quest with a friend today and we both commiserated on how difficult squats are.  He suggested that I take creatine.  According to him, it provided energy and strength that takes him to another level.  He is a bit stronger than me while being a lot smaller, so it gave me something to think about.

I am not a fan of taking anything unnatural, even painkillers.  It just doesn't sit well with me that I need to depend on something manufactured to maintain my body.  That being said, if I think something really works, then screw that unfounded philosophy!  My mom forced me to take theraflu when I was young and dammit it worked.  So now I take theraflu when i even think I'm getting sick.  I see people around me getting great results with creatine and through my limited research, I haven't found any real negative effects.

I'm still on the fence on this one, but if I do take it, I'll be sure to document the results.

Mama said they'd take me anywhere...

Of the holy triumvirate of foundational dunk training exercises (weight lifting, plyo, stretching), I am the weakest in weight lifting.  I can only squat 175 lbs 5 times and deadlift 185 lbs 5 times.  Basically, there are countless high school girls who can squat more than me.  Knowing that this is my weakness, I've been resolute in increasing my squat, but it's been really difficult.

Yesterday, I was struggling to do squats when a helpful neighbor offered a suggestion.  

"You know, I think if you had weightlifting shoes, you could make a lot of improvements.  See, your cross-trainers have a lot of cushion, so when you go down for your squat, it absorbs a lot of the weight which ruins your form and makes the squat more difficult."

He seemed like a nice enough guy so I thanked him for the tip and finished out my reps.  I went home and researched the topic and apparently only noobs use cross-trainers when they squat.  Well, then!  Although I am taking the dunk training seriously, I'm not sure if I want to dish out a hundred bucks for weightlifting shoes.  Instead, I'll bust out some old chucks(no cushion in the soles) and see if there is a big difference in my squat.  Even at my low weight, it's been difficult to move up in weight, so hopefully this will solve that problem.

As for an update on my vert, I think I increased it a couple of inches.  I'll try to get a video up later this week.

Week 1-2

I didn't get around to recording my vertical jump this week.  But, I've been managing to get my workouts in.  My squats are really weak.  I'm only putting up 155 lbs, 3 sets of 8.  I'm definitely gonna push myself to move up 10 lbs a week, even though I may have to sacrifice some reps.

After watching the video of me jumping, I realized I need to work on my explosiveness as well.  So I've been getting my plyometric workouts in.  Depth jumps and jumproping.  I've been practicing my 'dunking' jumps because I can definitely improve my form.

Hopefully I'll get another video up next week!

Pre-Dunk Quest Measurements

I've been humbled.  Just a week ago, I was playing basketball in an indoor gym and I got 3-4 inches over rim.  I hadn't been working out much, so I was feeling pretty good about it.  In fact, I though I would be able to churn out dunks in a few weeks.

Instead, I present my inaugural video which showcases my lack of athleticism.  Just like how your voice never sounds as magnificent as you think when you hear it recorded, my jumping form looked extremely weak.  My movement doesn't look very efficient or very quick.

BUT, this will only make accomplishing the quest even sweeter.  And although I think that jumping indoors adds a couple inches, if I can dunk outdoors, that would mean I could JAM indoors.  So no excuses.

I know we all think we jump smoothly like NBA players, but recording yourself and watching your jump keeps things in perspective.  I remember Candyman had a post about how recording himself forced him to make improvements.  I think this will definitely help me make the proper adjustments.

Week 1

Goal: Dunk in 8 weeks(October 11)

Age: 27
Height: 6'
Weight: 175 lbs.
Standing Reach: ~7'10"(in shoes)
Running Vertical: ~30 in.

The purpose of this blog is pretty straightforward.  Inspired by Candyman, I'm going to log my progress in trying to dunk.  I first trained to dunk about ten years ago when my legs were still fresh but information was sparse.  My training was haphazard and undisciplined, leading to mixed results.  I could 'dunk', but they were of the WNBA(not brittney griner) barely-getting-over-the-rim variety.

This time it's gonna be different.  I'm going to be disciplined and carefully record my efforts.  I might make a site to better record my progress.  This time I'm gonna actually "throw it down".