Did you see Amare Stoudemire’s Dunk over 7-foot-1 Michael Olowokandi? How about the one over 2005 Slam Dunk Champion Josh Smith? STAT also had some sick ones on Emeka Okafor and Yao Ming.
In fact, prior to his knee surgery on October 18, 2005, Stoudemire had a 40-inch vertical! The rehab went well, as he stated during the rehab that he was quite explosive and that he gradually regained his strength. When he attended the 2006 USA Basketball Camp in Las Vegas, his athletic trainers stated that his strength and flexibility have been “better than ever: almost superman-like.”
Post-surgery, the 2003 Rookie of the Year had his sights set on a special challenge: raising his vertical jump from 38 inches to 42.
“I’ve lost 2 inches because of the injury and I want to get my 2 back,” says Stoudemire. “And then I want to win 2 more on top of that.”
So what did you do? Here are Stoudemire’s secrets to snatching that extra inch or two, and then some:
run drills
After rehab, Stoudemire first wanted to get his speed back. So instead of running with the other big men, he fell in line with the guards.
“You can run 4 miles a day, but it won’t get you in shape to play basketball,” he says. “You have to do drills.”
To get your lungs back, try “six.” Run from baseline to baseline and back three times, for a total of six basketball court lengths. Rest for 30 seconds, then repeat the exercise twice. Stoudemire aimed to complete each six in under 30 seconds.
box jumps
Picture this: “The most impressive thing I’ve ever seen Amare do was 36-inch box jumps last year after he started getting his elevation back,” says Erik Phillips, ATC, head strength and conditioning coach of the Phoenix Suns.
But before jumping into plyo boxes, Phillips says it’s critical to reinforce lower-body stability with moves like multiplanar jumps.
For more exercises and crucial things to know about the vertical jump (why often what it “doesn’t” do is more important than what it “does”), take a look at this page. I highly recommend: