Ever wish you could fly?
Viral video could land Division III player in dunk contest - The Dagger - NCAAB Blog - Yahoo! Sports
Would you believe it if someone told you they had a 50 inch vertical jump?
Never!
Ever wish you could fly?
Viral video could land Division III player in dunk contest - The Dagger - NCAAB Blog - Yahoo! Sports
Would you believe it if someone told you they had a 50 inch vertical jump?
Never!
That looked pretty good. I'm curious as to how they did it.
That was close; He was centimeters away from smacking his jewels on the back of that guy's head at 1:45.
Raw talent. He was voted into the NCAA dunk competition and won it. He beat all Division 1 players hands down. Michael Jordan had a 36-inch vertical back in the day but nowhere near 50. If MJ had a 50 inch vertical he would have been way over the rim. This guy comes in at 5' 11" so for him to throw down dunks like that is extremely impressive. Unfortunately in Div. 3 basketball he averages 17.6 pts per game, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists. Definitely not numbers that will get him into the league. However I would not be surprised if some D-league teams didn't bring him on. If you watch his in-game videos they are far more impressive. He appears to have excellent court vision and routinely gets to the rack on the baseline for some nasty dunks. Poor Div. 3 defenders don't have a chance of staying with him and if you watch most of his dunks lead to fouls and put him on the line. The videos do not show much more of his play so I cannot comment on his passing but I would imagine since he appears to be either a small or power forward passing is not something he had to do much of. This probably explains his lack of assists per game.That looked pretty good. I'm curious as to how they did it.
Last edited by VirtualAce; 04-01-2011 at 11:21 PM.
Blame it on sex!Originally Posted by Yarin
No, really - sexual reproduction leads to a wide range of genetic variations. In this case, Jacob has very favorable genes for this. Also, he has done a good deal of special exercises and stretching, to add the last 3-4 inches of height to his vertical jump.
It seems if you walk around for a bit in weird shoes (yes, they sell them), with a big negative heel height, your calf muscles are stretched and strengthened in a way most favorable to jumping. There's a whole science to it now. Your bodyweight has to be kept down, your quads and hip extensors strengthened, but not enlarged more than necessary, your arm and shoulder girdle muscles - same thing. The more violently you can swing your arms overhead as you leap, the greater your hang time (height).
If you ever spend some time in a good Physiology or Phys. Ed Kinesiology lab, you'll be amazed at how much they know about human movement and performance.
While it's Jacob's vertical leaping is a wonder, as his frame continues to mature his vertical jump will shrink a bit.
Maybe he should do the high jump in track and field too, if basketball stops working out.
What? The college did not train him for a 50 inch vertical and no one in basketball would ever train for that. This kid has pure raw talent and ability to play the game. Genes do not determine that and never will. Michael Jordan's son was on the Fighting Illini for a season and I'll tell you he was nothing like his dad. Basketball isn't a gene thing.Blame it on sex!
No, really - sexual reproduction leads to a wide range of genetic variations. In this case, Jacob has very favorable genes for this. Also, he has done a good deal of special exercises and stretching, to add the last 3-4 inches of height to his vertical jump.
It seems if you walk around for a bit in weird shoes (yes, they sell them), with a big negative heel height, your calf muscles are stretched and strengthened in a way most favorable to jumping. There's a whole science to it now. Your bodyweight has to be kept down, your quads and hip extensors strengthened, but not enlarged more than necessary, your arm and shoulder girdle muscles - same thing. The more violently you can swing your arms overhead as you leap, the greater your hang time (height).
If you ever spend some time in a good Physiology or Phys. Ed Kinesiology lab, you'll be amazed at how much they know about human movement and performance.
While it's Jacob's vertical leaping is a wonder, as his frame continues to mature his vertical jump will shrink a bit.
That guy seems to defy gravity. Anyways, that is a pretty catchy background music for the video.
Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted
- Albert Einstein.
No programming language is perfect. There is not even a single best language; there are only languages well suited or perhaps poorly suited for particular purposes.
- Herbert Mayer
1) Jacob is a gifted jumper, his *potential* is largely determined by genetics. His success is then realized by proper training, desire, diet, etc.
2) Of course, basketballers train extensively to increase their vertical leap - that's what are the central theme in rebounding and jump shots - getting higher than your opposing player can.
Jacob has genetics that give him a mechanical and muscular advantage for leaping, that most of us can only admire, not match.
MJ's son only got half his genes from his Dad - and obviously, it wasn't a good mix with what he got from his Mom, for basketball.
If you walked into any Sports Science/Kinesiology lab, they could take out a tape measure, and tell you in 1 minute, if you could ever become a world class sprinter. They have a barrage of tests and if you take them, they can then tell you what sports you are genetically, well suited for.
Yes, we've all been on the jump pumps before but no one trains for a specific 50 inch vertical - that is insane. If I recall MJ only had a 33 to 36 inch vertical. Basketball players train extensively on the fundamentals of the game and running plays correctly b/c even a 50 inch vertical does not guarantee a win. A 50 inch vert with poor court vision, poor passing skills, poor dribbling, poor defense, etc. is just a poor basketball player that can leap 50 inches.2) Of course, basketballers train extensively to increase their vertical leap - that's what are the central theme in rebounding and jump shots - getting higher than your opposing player can
Sorry, but I think you are lending too much credence to pure genetics here and leaving out the fact that talent, hard work and attitude have a lot to do with being successful in sports regardless of your build, height, etc.If you walked into any Sports Science/Kinesiology lab, they could take out a tape measure, and tell you in 1 minute, if you could ever become a world class sprinter. They have a barrage of tests and if you take them, they can then tell you what sports you are genetically, well suited for.
I've been in such a Kineseology lab, and seen it. Lots of athletes have had this exact same lab work up, that I've mentioned, done. Several of them have mentioned it to reporters, etc. The Communist countries have extensively used such tests for several decades now, very successfully.
What you are saying is true, at the lower level of competition. Not at the top levels. There, EVERYONE works hard/trains hard, everyone has a strong desire to win, etc. All the competitors who don't have that, are weeded out at the lower levels of competition.
I'm unclear what your position is, actually. Jacob stated to reporters that he increased his vertical jump by specialized training - but you say "No", it's raw talent. Either Jacob is lying, or you're incorrect.
I say that he has been genetically gifted in this regard, and you claim I'm over-stating the case. So where do you believe people get "raw talent" from? In the absence of the "raw talent fairy", to dispense these gifts, there is genetics, training, and desire. I promise, desire by itself, will not help.
Look at Ian Thorpe and Michael Phelps - two of the most successful swimmers of recent decades, (of all time for Phelps). Their obvious genetic gifts are so obvious - huge feet (size 17 for Michael), on long legs, to get the best angle to help propel them through the water. Enormous arm length to pull the water past them longer & huge hands, thin bodies and flat butts to minimize drag through the water, giant lung capacity to take in more air faster.
For Phelps, (whose physical dimensions were published when he competed in Beijing), he would need to grind his skull to a point, or grow fins, to be any more genetically favored. Genetically, he is a "freak", but I mean that in a "freaky favorable for swimming" way, not a bad way.
Information to support the above is all on the net, btw.
Last edited by Adak; 04-05-2011 at 07:30 PM.
I don't think body modifications are genetic. (A psyche predisposed to them may be genetic, but not the modifications themselves.)
