---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I get a chance to power jump off…"
description: "\"When I get a chance to power jump off both legs, I can lean, twist, change directions and decide whether to dunk the ball or pass it to an open man. In..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35f/julius-erving-10131_air_when-i-get-a-chance-to-power-jump-off-bo_2481207.jpg"
---

#  When I get a chance to power jump off both legs, I can…

![“When I get a chance to power jump off both legs, I can lean, twist, change directions and decide whether to dunk the ball or pass it to an open man. In other words, I may be committed to the air, but I still have some control over it.” quote by Julius Erving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35f/julius-erving-10131_air_when-i-get-a-chance-to-power-jump-off-bo_2481207.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35f/julius-erving-10131_air_when-i-get-a-chance-to-power-jump-off-bo_2481207.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35f/julius-erving-10131_air_when-i-get-a-chance-to-power-jump-off-bo_2481207.jpg)

> “When I get a chance to power jump off both legs, I can lean, twist, change directions and decide whether to dunk the ball or pass it to an open man. In other words, I may be committed to the air, but I still have some control over it.”

[Julius Erving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-erving/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Control in the air symbolizes confidence and decision‑making while staying grounded in skill and awareness.

**In simple terms:** Even while airborne, you can still choose actions.

Key Takeaway

Balance daring moves with strategic choices.

Themes

sports confidence control decision‑making balance

Mood

inspirational analytical motivational

Type

sports philosophical

When to use this quote

- basketball drills
- leadership training
- risk assessment
- creative problem solving

Key Concepts

athletics mind‑body coordination strategic thinking

Questions to Reflect On

- What does “control in the air” mean for you?
- How can you apply this balance in daily decisions?

A Different Perspective

Physical execution still depends on preparation and teamwork.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/)

## Related quotes

> [I don't always have to dunk the ball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-kemp/i-don-t-always-have-to-dunk-the-ball/)

[Shawn Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-kemp/)

> [Those plays are winning plays, getting those blocks. Somebody's trying to dunk the ball and you get a block and that's demoralizing for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-drummond/those-plays-are-winning-plays-getting-those-blocks-somebody-s-trying/)

[Andre Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-drummond/)

> [I always wanted to be very delicate, but my thing was power. Then I realised I could use that power to jump as high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-deprince/i-always-wanted-to-be-very-delicate-but-my-thing-was-power-then-i/)

[Michaela DePrince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-deprince/)

> [Usually, when I liked athletes growing up, it was because they could hit a ball very far or they can throw a ball very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbie-lawler/usually-when-i-liked-athletes-growing-up-it-was-because-they-could/)

[Robbie Lawler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robbie-lawler/)

> [How much will y'all give me if I slam dunk this thing into the trash can?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-mcbride/how-much-will-y-all-give-me-if-i-slam-dunk-this-thing-into-the-trash/)

[Danny Mcbride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-mcbride/)

> [Skills Challenge tonight! You guys tuning in? Who you picking for the dunk contest?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-rose/skills-challenge-tonight-you-guys-tuning-in-who-you-picking-for-the/)

[Derrick Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-rose/)

> [People came to the All-Star Game to see the dunk contest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominique-wilkins/people-came-to-the-all-star-game-to-see-the-dunk-contest/)

[Dominique Wilkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominique-wilkins/)

> [Can I still dunk... Are you stupid?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jordan/can-i-still-dunk-are-you-stupid/)

[Michael Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jordan/)

> [I'm not a role model... Just because I dunk a basketball doesn't mean I should raise your kids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-barkley/i-m-not-a-role-model-just-because-i-dunk-a-basketball-doesn-t-mean-i/)

[Charles Barkley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-barkley/)

> [In New York, the dunk is not the thing. To break somebody down and shoot a J-that's as big as a dunk in New…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamar-odom/in-new-york-the-dunk-is-not-the-thing-to-break-somebody-down-and/)

[Lamar Odom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamar-odom/)

> [I just don't want to go to the All-Star game to be in the dunk contest and go home. I want to be there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deandre-jordan/i-just-don-t-want-to-go-to-the-all-star-game-to-be-in-the-dunk/)

[DeAndre Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deandre-jordan/)

> [My first dunk was actually in sixth grade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-carter/my-first-dunk-was-actually-in-sixth-grade/)

[Vince Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-carter/)

> [When you can't dunk anymore, you have to find a way to make it into the news.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manu-ginobili/when-you-can-t-dunk-anymore-you-have-to-find-a-way-to-make-it-into/)

[Manu Ginobili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manu-ginobili/)

> [We're young. We like to run. J.R. and those guys, they want to dunk and I want to see 'em dunk. So it works…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-paul/we-re-young-we-like-to-run-j-r-and-those-guys-they-want-to-dunk-and-i/)

[Chris Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-paul/)

> [Boys have a tendency to jump around a lot more than girls. Boys have that desire to want to dunk way more than girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-leslie/boys-have-a-tendency-to-jump-around-a-lot-more-than-girls-boys-have/)

[Lisa Leslie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-leslie/)

## More by Julius Erving

> [I liked the game, I enjoyed the game, and the game fed me enough, and gave me enough rewards to reinforce that this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-erving/i-liked-the-game-i-enjoyed-the-game-and-the-game-fed-me-enough-and/)

[Julius Erving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-erving/)

> [You know, just in terms of having to have a life on the road, you know, having the celebrity aspect be a burden for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-erving/you-know-just-in-terms-of-having-to-have-a-life-on-the-road-you-know/)

[Julius Erving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-erving/)

> [But you know, we have a very normal family. We've had our ups and downs. You know, we've had our issues, but we've had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-erving/but-you-know-we-have-a-very-normal-family-we-ve-had-our-ups-and-downs/)

[Julius Erving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-erving/)

> [LA Clippers should come to Louisville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-erving/la-clippers-should-come-to-louisville/)

[Julius Erving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-erving/)

> [Being a professional is doing the things you love to do, on the days you don't feel like doing them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-erving/being-a-professional-is-doing-the-things-you-love-to-do-on-the-days/)

[Julius Erving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-erving/)

> [I think I was chosen by basketball, although I never really physically got drafted to any team that I played for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-erving/i-think-i-was-chosen-by-basketball-although-i-never-really-physically/)

[Julius Erving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-erving/)

> [As a kid, I played a lot of one-on-none.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-erving/as-a-kid-i-played-a-lot-of-one-on-none/)

[Julius Erving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-erving/)

> [Goals determine what you are going to be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-erving/goals-determine-what-you-are-going-to-be/)

[Julius Erving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-erving/)

> [I demand more from myself than anybody could ever expect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-erving/i-demand-more-from-myself-than-anybody-could-ever-expect/)

[Julius Erving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-erving/)

> [I think that my God-given physical attributes, big hands, and big feet, the way that I'm built, proportion-wise, just made basketball the most inviting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-erving/i-think-that-my-god-given-physical-attributes-big-hands-and-big-feet/)

[Julius Erving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-erving/)

> [I've always tried to tell myself that the work itself is the thing, that win, lose, or draw, the work is really what counts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-erving/i-ve-always-tried-to-tell-myself-that-the-work-itself-is-the-thing/)

[Julius Erving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-erving/)

> [When I went to Philadelphia I was 26 years old and really sitting on top of the world. Family life, a professional career, plenty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-erving/when-i-went-to-philadelphia-i-was-26-years-old-and-really-sitting-on/)

[Julius Erving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-erving/)

> [When I played, the owners had the power. The prisoners are running the prison now, not the warden. The warden is strong and he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-erving/when-i-played-the-owners-had-the-power-the-prisoners-are-running-the/)

[Julius Erving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-erving/)

> [If you don't do what's best for your body, you're the one who comes up on the short end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-erving/if-you-don-t-do-what-s-best-for-your-body-you-re-the-one-who-comes-up/)

[Julius Erving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-erving/)

> [I always try to keep a pretty conservative demeanor on the court.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-erving/i-always-try-to-keep-a-pretty-conservative-demeanor-on-the-court/)

[Julius Erving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-erving/)

[Explore all 67 Julius Erving quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-erving/)

## More Air quotes

> [I will be a tireless advocate for our District's defense priorities including Sheppard Air Force Base, Pantex, Bell Helicopter, universities conducting important research, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronny-jackson/i-will-be-a-tireless-advocate-for-our-district-s-defense-priorities/)

[Ronny Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronny-jackson/)

> [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/)

[Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/)

> [If U.S. air, naval, missile, and ground forces were not in and around Korea, and if we were not treaty-bound to fight alongside South…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/if-u-s-air-naval-missile-and-ground-forces-were-not-in-and-around/)

[Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/)

> [The cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. The smell of coalsmoke in the air at night. Old times, dead years. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/)

[Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/)

> [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/)

[Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/)

> [I'm a candle flame that sways in currents of air you can't see. You need to be the one who steadies me to burn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/i-m-a-candle-flame-that-sways-in-currents-of-air-you-can-t-see-you/)

[Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/)

> [It is sometimes said that scientists are unromantic, that their passion to figure out robs the world of beauty and mystery. But is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-sometimes-said-that-scientists-are-unromantic-that-their/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/)

[Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/)

> [After a few mouthfuls of moon-flavored air, even the stubbornly drowsy can find themselves wide-eyed.. All the normal noises of life were gone, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/after-a-few-mouthfuls-of-moon-flavored-air-even-the-stubbornly-drowsy/)

[N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/)

> [There was a little nook on Air Force Two that contained the vice presidential seal, and I would sort of wedge myself in there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-biden/there-was-a-little-nook-on-air-force-two-that-contained-the-vice/)

[Jill Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-biden/)

> [Words are substance strange. Speak one and the air ripples into another's ears. Write one and the eye laps it up. But the sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-beachy-quick/words-are-substance-strange-speak-one-and-the-air-ripples-into/)

[Dan Beachy-Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-beachy-quick/)

> [ \[A\]s you partake of the world's bill of fare, that's darned good advice to follow. Do a lot of spitting out the hot air.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/a-s-you-partake-of-the-world-s-bill-of-fare-that-s-darned-good-advice/)

[Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/)

> [...As the disparity between the rich and the poor grows, the fight to corner resources is intensifying. To push through their "sweetheart deals," to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/as-the-disparity-between-the-rich-and-the-poor-grows-the-fight-to/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [Washington bureaucrats have classified the very air we exhale as a pollutant and have gone unchallenged in this incredible assertion. The logical consequence is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/washington-bureaucrats-have-classified-the-very-air-we-exhale-as-a/)

[Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/)

> [“It is unnatural to fear something natural.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/it-is-unnatural-to-fear-something-natural/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

Browse all 6,278 Air quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When I get a chance to power jump off both legs, I can lean, twist, change directions and decide whether to dunk the ball or pass it to an open man. In other words, I may be committed to the air, but I still have some control over it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Julius Erving"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-erving/when-i-get-a-chance-to-power-jump-off-both-legs-i-can-lean-twist/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Air"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-erving/when-i-get-a-chance-to-power-jump-off-both-legs-i-can-lean-twist/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35f/julius-erving-10131_air_when-i-get-a-chance-to-power-jump-off-bo_2481207.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35f/julius-erving-10131_air_when-i-get-a-chance-to-power-jump-off-bo_2481207.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35f/julius-erving-10131_air_when-i-get-a-chance-to-power-jump-off-bo_2481207.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When I get a chance to power jump off both legs, I can lean, twist, change directions and decide whether to…” — Julius Erving",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Julius Erving",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-erving/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When I get a chance to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-erving/when-i-get-a-chance-to-power-jump-off-both-legs-i-can-lean-twist/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-erving/when-i-get-a-chance-to-power-jump-off-both-legs-i-can-lean-twist/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
