Most people don't realize how unforgiving the numbers are when you're short with a below-average reach.
Here's my exact situation:
• Height: 5'9"
• Standing reach: 7'2" (86 inches) — 4 inches BELOW average for my height
• Rim height: 10'0" (120 inches)
• Minimum vertical to touch the rim: 34 inches
• Minimum vertical to actually dunk: ~40 inches
• My vertical: 45 inches
The average 5'9" person has a 7'6" standing reach. My reach is 4 inches shorter than average for my height — meaning I was already starting behind before I even left the ground.
When I started I couldn't touch the mesh. Not the rim — the MESH. The net that hangs about 15 inches below the rim. I needed a 19-inch vertical just to graze string.
Here's what actually moved the needle:
Depth jumps over max-effort jumps — I wasted months grinding standing verticals when depth jumps (step off a box, immediately explode up) trained my nervous system to produce force faster. Rate of force development — not raw strength — is what dunking is built on.
Single-leg strength work — Most short dunkers neglect Bulgarian split squats and step-ups. Your approach jump is almost always off one leg. Training bilateral squats only is half the equation.
Hip flexor mobility was the hidden bottleneck — Tight hip flexors cap your stride length and knee drive. Daily 90/90 stretches and couch stretches added inches to my vertical without touching a weight.
Approach jump vs standing vertical — My running jump is 6–8 inches higher than my standing vert. If you only train your standing vertical you're leaving the easiest gains on the table.
Going from not touching the mesh to a 45-inch vertical and 11 inches of clearance above the rim didn't happen overnight. But the math is doable if you train the right things.
5'9", 7'2" standing reach, Canadian, Pakistani. Happy to answer anything on the training side.