Did you see Amare Stoudemire's Dunk over the 7'1" Michael Olowokandi? How about the one over the 2005 Slam Dunk Champion Josh Smith? STAT also had some sick ones on Emeka Okafor and Yao Ming.

Actually, before his knee surgery on October 18, 2005, Stoudemire had a 40-inch vertical! The rehabilitation went well as he stated during the rehab that he was pretty explosive and he gradually gained his strength back. As 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 like superman".

After the surgery, the 2003 Rookie of the Year had his sights set on a special challenge: elevating his vertical leap, from 38 inches to 42.

"I dropped 2 inches because of the injury, and I want my 2 back," says Stoudemire. "And then I want to gain 2 more on top of that."

So, what did he do? Here are Stoudemire's secrets for snatching that extra inch or 2 - and then some:

After rehab, Stoudemire first wanted to regain his speed. So instead of running with other big men, he lined up with the guards.

"You can run 4 miles a day, but it won't get you in basketball shape," he says. "You have to run drills."

To get your lungs back, try "sixes." Run from baseline to baseline and back three times, for a total of six lengths of the basketball court. Rest for 30 seconds, then repeat the drill twice. Stoudemire aimed to complete each six in under 30 seconds.

Just picture this: "The most impressive thing I've 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 for the Phoenix Suns.

But before jumping onto plyometric boxes yourself, Phillips says it's critical to bolster lower-body stability with moves like multiplanar hops.

For more exercises and crucial things to know about vertical jump (f.e. why often what you "don't" do is more important then what you "do" do) please take a look at this page I strongly recommend:

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