A dunk is a shot thrown down through the basket. In a windmill you bring the ball to your waist, then swing your arm straight back and up in a full circle and throw it down over your head, with one hand or two. It's associated with dunkers like Dominique Wilkins and Vince Carter, and the circle needs a lot of time in the air, so build it on a solid plain dunk. We read your takeoff knee drive and, most of all, a bent-knee, absorbed landing; the arm circle itself is style the camera doesn't grade.
Set up
Make sure you can already dunk a plain one-hand or two-hand dunk comfortably. The windmill adds a whole arm circle before the ball reaches the rim, so it needs more time in the air.
Plain dunk first.
Warm up, then attack the rim at a speed you can control. If you run in faster than you can stop, shorten and slow the approach.
Fast, but in control.
Gather the ball in two hands with a strong grip, close to your body.
Lock it in.
Take your two steps after the gather. For a one-foot jump on a right-hand windmill: right foot, left foot, jump off the left. For a two-foot jump: one step, then land both feet together and go straight up. NBA and FIBA allow both; check your league's wording.
Right, left, up.
On a one-foot jump, drive the knee on your dunking-hand side up hard as you leave the floor.
Knee up, ball low.
Dunk
As you rise, bring the ball down to your waist. Keep it secure: in one hand if you can control it, in both if you can't. A two-hand windmill is still a windmill.
Ball to the hip.
Swing your arm straight back and up in one continuous circle, keeping the ball under control the whole way round.
Back, up, over.
Finish the circle over your head and throw the ball down through the rim before you start to fall.
Circle done, then down.
Let go of the rim straight away. In the NBA, deliberately hanging on the rim is a technical foul unless you are preventing an injury. FIBA allows a brief grasp after a dunk, but supporting your weight on the ring is a technical unless it prevents injury.
Touch and release.
Land
Land on both feet if you can. One-leg landings load the knee harder and bend it less.
Two feet down.
Land softly, bending your knees and hips, with your knees over your toes. Landing is the most common way basketball players hurt an ankle.
Land soft, sink into it.
Feel it
The ball stays locked in your hand or hands all the way round the circle, and you still feel high when it comes over the top. The landing feels quiet: knees and hips bend together and you stay balanced under the basket instead of crashing down stiff-legged or on one foot.
Fix-its
- You run out of air before the circle finishes Go back to a plain dunk until it's easy. Add the circle only when you finish plain dunks with room to spare.
- The ball slips out during the circle Grip it hard and keep it close until you rise. If one hand can't control it round the circle, do the two-hand version.
- You run in out of control Shorten the approach and slow it down. Use only as much speed as you can turn into a balanced takeoff, and add speed as that holds.
- Wrong foot or an extra step Count from the gather: two steps, then you're in the air. One-foot jump off the foot opposite your dunking hand. Walk it, jog it, then go full speed.
- Hanging on the rim or landing stiff on one foot Release the rim straight away and land on both feet with knees and hips bent. Only hold the rim if letting go would mean landing on someone or falling.
Drill
- Landing practice: small jumps landing on two feet, softly, knees and hips bent, knees over toes. Do it as part of your warm-up 2–3 times a week.
- Footwork walk-through: from a short approach, gather, take your two steps and jump straight up with the ball. No dunk, just the takeoff and a soft landing.
- Circle jumps: jump under the rim and take the ball through the full circle before you land. No dunk; land soft on two feet.
- Plain dunks: one-hand or two-hand dunks from your approach until they're comfortable.
- Windmill attempts: a few at a time, then rest. Stop the set when your landings get stiff or sloppy, or anything hurts.
Sources
- Jr. NBA — Dunk (glossary)
- SportsLingo — Windmill dunk (sports glossary)
- Barry Popik, The Big Apple — Windmill Dunk (basketball shot)
- NBA.com Staff — History top moments: Jordan vs. Wilkins, 1988 Slam Dunk Contest (2021)
- Phil Watson, Sports Illustrated — Vince Carter recalls his legendary Slam Dunk Contest performance (2015)
- Basketball For Coaches — How to Do a Layup in Basketball (6-Step Guide)
- NBA Official Rulebook 2026-27 — Rule No. 10, Sec. XIII (Traveling)
- NBA Official Rulebook 2026-27 — Rule No. 12, Sec. IV and VII (Hanging on the basket ring)
- FIBA — Official Basketball Rules 2026, Art. 25 (Travelling) and Art. 36 (Technical foul: hanging on the ring)
- Liu & Zaferiou — Factors contributing to jump heights in two-foot running jumps with and without a basketball, Front Sports Act Living (2025)
- Padua et al. — NATA Position Statement: Prevention of ACL Injury, J Athl Train (2018)
- Wang — The Lower Extremity Biomechanics of Single- and Double-Leg Stop-Jump Tasks, J Sports Sci Med (2011)
- McKay et al. — Ankle injuries in basketball: injury rate and risk factors, Br J Sports Med (2001)
Last checked 2026-10-31.