Ever since I picked up a basketball, I’ve always dreamed of dunking. It is the single best skill in basketball (in my opinion)—electrifying and powerful. I am always in awe whenever I watch NBA players glide through the air and throw down a monstrous dunk.
When I started trying, I, just like everyone else, always fell short of the rim, but I never got discouraged, because I always told myself, that one day I will get to that seemingly unreachable goal, dunking. Thanks to the fact that I grew pretty fast, I reached a decently tall height in no time, and I found myself on the starting line of completing this dream since eighth grade.
After some fragmented training, I started to touch the rim. I felt extremely proud of myself, because I was the only one in the grade who could touch the rim, and from there on, dunking felt in sight and didn’t feel hard at all. After all, I was getting close to dunking in eighth grade, which is so far ahead of the professional basketball players, right?
As I got to ninth grade though, I realized dunking wasn’t easy—it was the completely opposite of what I felt in eighth grade—it was in sight and close, but I couldn’t really get there. A few centimeters higher would’ve gotten me a dunk, but those few centimeters felt so distant. I began to realize that, I actually needed to work harder for it. Instead of thinking I would get lucky and get it one day, I began to purposefully work on my dunking skills. I stayed in the gym and attempted to dunk over and over again, hoping to get it once, and for all. Though I didn’t know much about workouts and techniques, I knew one thing—the more I jump, the higher I’ll jump, and just like everything else, repetition is the key to improvement. I eventually got my first dunk with a volleyball. I will forever remember that day, because I tried exactly 21 times to achieve it. Through encouragement from my friend and my own eagerness, I reached a big milestone along the way. From there on, my confidence boosted, which led me to become more and more motivated.
Beginning in 10th grade, I designed myself a plyometrics workout plan, including weight training and jumping exercises, to further improve my vertical jump. I also studied videos of professional athletes, dissecting their techniques and implementing them on myself. As time passed by, my jump got higher and higher everyday, and every millimeter that got me closer to the rim made me elated.
I started to feel the sense of improvement everyday, but didn’t see any hope of getting a successful dunk, until one random dunking session, I finally got it. That day was one of the best days of my life, not only because of the dunk, but also because the seed that was planted in my heart all the way back when I picked up the basketball had bloomed with all the sweat, all the work put into achieving it, and all the hours in the gym. The feeling of achievement was nothing like I ever experienced—a childhood dream was finally achieved, a seemingly unrealistic goal was finally reached—by me. But dunking wasn’t enough, I was hungry to jump even higher, and refine my dunking skills.
However, just as my progress seemed unstoppable, an unfortunate ankle injury stopped me from training for nearly three months during my 10th grade year. It was a devastating setback, and I questioned whether I would ever regain my previous form. Yet, this setback only fueled my motivation further. During my recovery, I imagined myself dunking again and soaring through the air, I used all this energy into rehabilitation exercises and physical therapy. When I finally recovered, I felt better than ever, I went right back into dunking and training. Thanks to my rehabilitation, I can consistently dunk and occasionally throw down pretty impressive ones now.
My journey from merely touching the rim in 8th grade to becoming a consistent dunker in 10th grade taught me a valuable life lesson: keep working and trying no matter what. I know it sounds cliché, but experiencing the entire process taught me the value of not giving up. The few centimeters of extra jump height took me two years of training and repetition.
Finally, to whoever is working towards a goal, keep up the grind and you’ll eventually get there as long as you believe in yourself. Grind don’t stop.
{ Credits }
Writing: Shidong S, Margaret Y
Formatting: Margaret Y
Photography: Shidong S
Posted By: Margaret Y
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