How to cheat gravity in basketball 

There's a pro-dunker named Isaiah Rivera. He legit gets around a 0.98 hangtime on a jump with nobody around him. He has an officially tested 50.5 inch vertical. He's by far the highest leaper I've ever seen

you tricked me into watching a physics lessons, fantastic video

Basically, it's as much athleticism as it is bravery to go directly at the opponent and get that 'boost'.

"This might be the highest an NBA player has ever been in a game!" Chet Holmgren: hold my joint

0:42 i think JR Smith has something to say about that lol

Gerald Green windmill alley-oop is probably the craziest unassisted dunk i have ever seen.

In Aussie Rules (AFL) this is a extremely well known move called a “Specky”. Players will try to jump on others backs to get the extra boost

Very creative and thoughtful dive into the very same phenomena that is used by outfielders at the wall to rob home runs in baseball.

This makes the Gerald Green Windmill Alley-Oop dunk even more impressive. No contact and head above the rim. That dunk is insane

After all these years watching the LeBron skyscraping clip in portland at @7:56, i NEVER noticed Travis Outlaw on the bench getting jumpscared by how high lebron was

I did this once I was 16 like 6’0 180..was at the park drove down the center lane..this huge grown man prob 5’11 300 he stepped up AND jumped. Thought he was gon take me out the air but my knee went into his belly and I got this superboost that took me higher than I ever been dunked on him HARD. I didn’t even jump that high it was me hitting him at the perfect angle that took me to the sky

This technique of using your opponents upwards momentum is commonly used in AFL, called a "speckie". Basically timing your jump with your opponent so you can ride their momentum and get boosted up a bit higher over them.

2:58 gotta Love a JKyle Mann reference.

Love this video. Its like learning new tech in a video game

Anthony Edwards is a Cheat Code. 🏀🏀🏀

Only Thinking Basketball can make a video on something as miniscule as this & it's still entertaining

incredible video. absolutely captivated the whole time. great work ben!

Came for highlight plays, leave with knowledge. Well, thinking basketball, you've outdone yourself again. What a video. Bravo.

Man what a great job Ben

This is BY FAR my favorite basketball channel EVER‼️ Love you and all you do for hoopers and our sport, Ben❤️

The progress in the NBA with athleticism is insane with Anthony Edwards, Shaedon Sharpe, and Jalen Green

In the Australian Football League (AFL), we have a move called a speccy (Spectacular Mark/Grab). Either a teammate or opponent is used as a prop. One jumps into their back, and balances on them/jumps higher like a spring board. You'll often see players being 2 whole humans up in the air, while crashing down and holding the ball. No pads, just guts and balls. Look up AFL greatest marks. You'll go down the rabbit hole.

Love your content for years. Well done 🎉 and keep going ❤

Always a good day with a Thinking Basketball upload

Such a great video. Basketball and physics in equal measure. Love it!

Early contender for best video I've seen this year, bravo dude, this is incredible

Been noticing this since I started observing the game thanks for pointing it out and breaking it down a bit more

Javales reaction to the dunk was the best part, the man look legit scared.

Fantastic video once again! I don't know how you do it but I sure am thankful you do as a fellow thinking bball man

So glad you made this video. As much as I love all these dunks/blocks, especially the recent ones by Ant, it’s annoying how few people seem to acknowledge the extra boosts

Don't forget Gerald Green's best non-boost: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-nOzo4pHTZ-M.htmlsi=WG1JExApibquv7y1 Sometimes the way to fly is just do it yourself.

Thank you for this video. So good ❤

I played that game and the dunk graphics were like a slow-motion bit within the game time speed. It was cool back them.

An eye-opener. Great analysis.

That game, "Lakers vs Celtics and the NBA Playoffs", was actually what got me interested in playing basketball as a kid! I used to play it with my brother and was fascinated by the dunks, the steals, and given that it showed stats for the players, I was surprised that a player could dominate such a wide variety of stats (such as MJ with his scoring and steals, and Olajuwon with scoring, steals, blocks, rebounds). Because of this game, I started to watch the NBA on TV and then started bring a basketball to school to play with friends. The rest, as they say, is history!

Phenomenal content. Thank you. Liked and subscribed.

This is a great video. I think about this a lot while watching games.

love the videos keep up the great work

Thanks for the video!

Always noticed that but never knew it had an actual name. Fascinating.

Such a fun vid! I was reminded of the 92’ Foot Locker SlamFest (which featured Mike Conley’s dad dunking from at least a few feet beyond the FT line) and would love to see a sequel dealing with the horizontal parts of this, even though I know it’s not talked about much.

I’m a high school physics teacher with spring break next week. I’ll definitely be showing my class this video tomorrow!

That’s an amazing analysis 🙏

This is probably my favorite video of yours

This was my bread and butter back in the day being a hair shy of 6ft. Loved the and 1 contact giving you that slow mo feel with that extra hangtime. Had all day to calculate the position of the rim in relation to me adjusting to the spin or drift that results from the contact and as long as no one collapsed down on me to double me which wasn't too often the case since my height tended to not attract too much attention on the blocks or in the box. You gots to go hard in the paint player. I was a solid 190 which served me well when I drew contact even though dude may of had 6 plus inches on me but not much more mass or maybe less.

That was deep as hell.now the other dunk's i just seen shown never seen them wow.

I'm honestly just glad to see Tom Chambers get some recognition. Dude was so good & isn't remembered the way he should be. He would fit so perfectly in the modern NBA. Big, super athletic forward that can shoot. He could play 3-5 in the modern era.

I did this one time at the park on a put back and have never done it again I always wondered how I got so much air but this video explains it perfectly

That is a great video. Thank you 🙏

I thought the contact would actually hinder a dunker's vertical but wow it all makes sense now. Awesome video also with that J Kyle Mann reference

Lobe the physics explanation here these type of players are always fun when you see gravity defying stuff

I always knew about this but this is my first time seeing somebody actually talk about it

The will and fearlessness to ride one of those bumps is still AMAZING!!!

Awesome video. Thank you so much

this video just makes me even more amazed by that Gerald Green's jump, how could that man fly with his head above the rim so casually, whitout any help, boost, nothing... NBA has some freaks of nature

PLEASE DO A GREATEST PEAKS FOR DEFENSE. Would be awesome to go from Russel to Dray/Rudy (maybe Wemby soon?) and study their alternative effects on the game as well

nba storyteller had a great vid about dunking a couple years ago. had a lot of this info, but went into a lot more about the emotion and context for what makes dunks great beyond just the physics.

I'm loving Ben Taylor's sports science arc.

Been loving the J Kyle Mann vids, would love a podcast with you and Nekias Duncan

Yo this was awesome, we always thought there was some sort of push off (thus the poster dunk) but this was cooool

Bro I was literally studying for my 2nd Dynamics exam for college earlier today (Dynamics is physics in motion) and I see this video right after I cooked. The timing is crazy lmao, anyways, was a great video as always man! 👍🏾

Imagine being Pau Gasol, getting punched in the face while a dude dunks on you, and the refs call a foul on your face for making contact with the guys extended fist. The NBA will overlook anything for a highlight.

Awesome breakdown thanks

Lakers vs. Celtics Sega Genesis kid, here! Thanks for that nostalgic rewind, Ben!

You should have a look at the AFL (Australian Rules Football). There is a type of mark, or catch, called a specky, where players jump off each other's backs to get extra height and hangtime. In the sport of AFL this is pretty frequent, about 1 or 2 a game where players leap off of each other.

Great video boss

The Ja Morant block where he pinned it two hands on the backboard was so incredible because there wasn't a Chamber's Boost. It legitimately looked like he jumped off a trampoline to block the shot. Usually you see a guy get that high, and there's almost always some form of contact that gave him a boost. Morant just has springs in his feet or something.

Amazing video!

This was a fun watch

Speaking of dunk contests, and the stories of that series of dunk contests that were athletes from other sports, you don't know what I'd give to see if it would be possible to do a quad axel dunk. I actually have no idea how high Ilia Malinin (reigning US and Grand Prix finals champ in figure skating) gets on any of his quads, or how much a ball could change the technique, but even a double or triple axel one would be super impressive if it is possible because of the rotations. I'm not even sure if an axel makes the most sense, but it's the only jump that starts forwards, so it's the one that comes to mind for this. my point really is, bring back the other sports dunk contests please.

Amazing video, it's even more amazing when you've experienced it in real life yourself, Unfortunately I wasn't blocking or dunking on someone, but was going up for a rebound and never even caught it... But I remember saying... Damn I could've dunked that, then realising somehow the defender below me even though they hadn't even pushed up, the contact from them made me a 5'9" guy almost feel like Mike. 😆 We lost the game, I only had 2 points, but that was a highlight I will never forget. Thanks for giving me an explanation.

its a big thing in australian football, jumping onto other people to stay high and catch the football, usually known as a speckie

Man I'm glad you included that LeBron clip where he had his shoulder at the rim. Years ago I had commented saying he was boosted and explained how his trajectory changed and his hangtime increased. People just could not accept it and lost their minds lol. Granted, it was an extremely well timed boost and isn't easy to see if you don't know what to look for. However there's also some common sense to it 😂

Thanks for runining dunkmas! That first dunk of Jackson Jr in the clip was the best dunk I had ever witnessed together with Vince of course! :/

This is big in the game of AFL (aussie rules) where some of the biggest leapers get a boost from the other players to get crazy high on catches (or marks), love from australia

Lebron got his shoulders up to the rim: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3-kolNcY53s.htmlsi=d68AjAlmEqahgnoi

The guy he was dunking on jumped to get the rebound under him lifting Jackson in mid-air because inertia and momentum. My video would have been wake. Appreciate the content, great breakdowns.

What a fun little aside. Great video

Gerald Green INSANE ATHLETICISM 💪🔥💪

I still have that Lakers vs Celtics game for the Genesis. Chambers was like a cheat code and when all the friends got together to play tournaments with money, we had a higher price to pick Phoenix because of Chambers.

you've shown me something i cant unsee now

Create the ultimate soul destroying dunk compilation but make it nerdy. No one can do it like Elgee

Ben Taylor you are my goat

Do you think the forearm boosts should be offensive fouls?

I had no clue about this faceit of the game/pyschics, i thought the contact would typically slow people down not help them

Dang that brought back memories Lakers VS Celtics him double clutching from 3

That Edwards block is one of the best blocks in NBA history. I love that kid, he so fun to watch.

This happens in Australian Football. You can jump on others back in order to catch the ball. Naturally the person you jump on will also be jumping to catch the ball, so if done right, you will get a boost up.

1:22 The defender #18 jumped and helped Jackson's lift.

He got a boost when on his way up his butt hit the shoulders of the kinds defender. That added a considerable amount of higher

Every hooper has in their memory their highest jump ever. A jump so high that they could never replicate again. Mine? A putback in a game where I could dunk with my elbow. I bet most players archive their highest jump in-game, where the adrenaline, the intensity, and the emotions are at their peak, making you capable of doing things that you never could otherwise. I'm just a random white 6.2 guy that never higher than a simple one hand dunk.

0:43 Dion Waiters would like a word

I would like to hear your thoughts on we done with the 90's

Same thing with Ants dunk, he had the defender/teammate to push them up and it looks like they actually get that height. Just look at both videos, there’s someone underneath them to give them a few extra inches.

looks like he also got a Tom Chambers style body boost from the defender. I agree, you can increase you vertical; if you're already athletic, just by willing yourself to jump higher. I was able to do it, and surprised my friends at the HS; but when i came down i twisted my knee - game over.

Amazing 😊😊

Fine. I’ll support you on Patreon. Your content is just too good. Fine. This is the video that made me do it.

I get the sense that you grew up in an area where you had to drive the for an amount of time equivalent to a power nap in order to see a parking meter. I'd see my older friends hopping over meters for what felt like forever until i had played 2 years of CYO, before i was confident enough to try that as a wee young lad, realizing that while i clearly saw the 2 hand balance and push off the top of the parking meter was basically the key, i didn't realize just how much that move helped you EASILY clear one, if you had any semblance of a vertical (hence, my mentioning CYO). Similar "move," totally different action, but u can convince your 12 year old nephew or whatever that he can body slam u (err, so long as he isnt a complete, totally scrawny toothpick, &/or u aint 3 bills or higher 😅), if you know that as the person getting slammed, its up to you to hold/balance/push off his thigh with ur outside arm, making sure whomever is going for the slam doesnt fall right back on his arss and look like a tool

Great example of this in the move "The Cable Guy"

@thinking basketball You missed a Chambers boost dunk from last season that was easily a top 3 dunk last year it is very underrated. Look up Grayson Allen's dunk on former teammate Jordan Nwora and you can see Grayson gets a big boost from Nwora and Grayson's head gets above the rim for one of the best dunks from last season. Grayson Allen after dunking it falls on the ground hard as hell laid out flat and the adrenaline must have been pumping for him to pop up after that nasty fall.