Why are most of the olympic high jumpers white?

k13 · 08-08-12, 10:09 AM

Because they can jump over higher bars.

ttwarrior1 · 08-08-12, 10:11 AM

high jumpers make no money,

TheCentaur · 08-08-12, 10:18 AM

Originally posted by ttwarrior1

high jumpers make no money,

Yeha but neither do Kenyan mid and long distance runners.

ttwarrior1 · 08-08-12, 10:22 AM

wtf else is a kenyan gonna do, they are in shape from running after lions,

Regul8er · 08-08-12, 10:29 AM

Well Centaur....it appears the athletes from the islands mainly focus on running.
THus, this opens the door for Europeans to get bids in high jump......makes perfect sense.
I believe an African American got 2nd, if Im not mistaken.

TheCentaur · 08-08-12, 10:34 AM

Originally posted by Regul8er

Well Centaur....it appears the athletes from the islands mainly focus on running.
THus, this opens the door for Europeans to get bids in high jump......makes perfect sense.
I believe an African American got 2nd, if Im not mistaken.

Yes, silver was an African American. But it is dominated by whites. Since when do blacks from around the world just avoid certain events that they can possibly win? Why is triple jump or long jump different? That's dominated by blacks.

shari91 · 08-08-12, 10:38 AM

I watched on some sports doco that it has to do with the density of their muscles and something about twitch muscles whatever the f those are. Generally... not for every black person obviously. But because speed and a low percentage of body weight isn't really a factor in high jump, black athletes lose the advantage they have in other track and field events. They mentioned something about 2 foot vs 1 foot hops too but I can't really remember what that was.

k13 · 08-08-12, 10:44 AM

High jump is more about technique.

TheCentaur · 08-08-12, 10:44 AM

Originally posted by shari91

I watched on some sports doco that it has to do with the density of their muscles and something about twitch muscles whatever the f those are. Generally... not for every black person obviously. But because speed and a low percentage of body weight isn't really a factor in high jump, black athletes lose the advantage they have in other track and field events. They mentioned something about 2 foot vs 1 foot hops too but I can't really remember what that was.

Thank you for an honesst and informed response. I will do some research to determine the difference in this event, because on the surface it seems the skills needed would approximate dunking ability.

Shari fast twitch muscles are those used in sprints and quick movements. Slow twitch are more for endurance related activities.

shari91 · 08-08-12, 10:57 AM

Originally posted by TheCentaur

Thank you for an honesst and informed response. I will do some research to determine the difference in this event, because on the surface it seems the skills needed would approximate dunking ability.

Shari fast twitch muscles are those used in sprints and quick movements. Slow twitch are more for endurance related activities.

Cool, thanks for that! I just Googled a bit and apparently a big factor why Caucasians tend to dominate any sport that is reliant on being strong and doesn't involve speed ie weight lifting, shotput, those strong man competitions is because they have more slow twitch muscle fibers. Someone brought up that if boxers weren't limited to 3 minute rounds and just fought until one guy won, it would be harder to predict a winner between a black and a white boxer and that's why whites dominate things like UFC and wrestling more... they're stronger and the sport isn't as reliant on short bursts of power and speed. Not sure how true that is though.

TheCentaur · 08-08-12, 11:08 AM

Right, it just seems to me high jump would be heavily reliant on fast twitch fibers

wtt0315 · 08-08-12, 11:49 AM

black people don't like water and most don't like heights.

k13 · 08-08-12, 11:57 AM

boeing power · 08-08-12, 12:17 PM

...

mynameismud · 08-08-12, 12:29 PM

Originally posted by TheCentaur

Yeha but neither do Kenyan mid and long distance runners.

they get paid a little. 10k appearance fees and 50k for winning marathons. also endorsements for niche items.

ChalkyDog · 08-08-12, 01:01 PM

High jump isn't all about brute athleticism, it takes technique/form, etc.

yisman · 08-08-12, 01:13 PM

Look at the Aussie Pearson who dominated hurdles yesterday.

19th Hole · 08-08-12, 01:17 PM

Originally posted by shari91

I watched on some sports doco that it has to do with the density of their muscles and something about twitch muscles whatever the f those are. Generally... not for every black person obviously. But because speed and a low percentage of body weight isn't really a factor in high jump, black athletes lose the advantage they have in other track and field events. They mentioned something about 2 foot vs 1 foot hops too but I can't really remember what that was.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~``
Poppycock.

shari91 · 08-08-12, 01:30 PM

Originally posted by 19th Hole

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~``
Poppycock.

That's very true. It was a doco on a channel like A&E back home but here it's called SBS. It was all about evaluating athletes in different sports and that's what they said. I'm not saying it's right or wrong...and that's why I put in the disclaimer that obviously it couldn't apply to everyone and also explained that I wasn't sure what fast twitch muscles are or why the 1 hop vs 2 hop thing mattered. But Centaur's question isn't new nor is it unique. This is some of the kind of things that have been debated for decades.

I just love hearing about athletes full stop so I'm more than happy for you or anyone else to prove what I heard wrong.

seaborneq · 08-08-12, 01:31 PM

Limberness. More limber less muscular bodies are good for high jump.

rm18 · 08-08-12, 01:31 PM

has nothing to do with technique white people and black people jump the same, basketball gives a false impression because it looks like the black guys jump higher but it really is just that their arms are longer. Long jump and triple jump are a speed/jumping combo and favor blacks, there is a lot more technique in triple jump than high jump.

TheCentaur · 08-08-12, 01:37 PM

Originally posted by rm18

has nothing to do with technique white people and black people jump the same, basketball gives a false impression because it looks like the black guys jump higher but it really is just that their arms are longer. Long jump and triple jump are a speed/jumping combo and favor blacks, there is a lot more technique in triple jump than high jump.

Good post, I think this may hit it on the head. Do you ever, I mean ever, remember seeing a boxing or UFC match in which a black didn't have the reach advantage over a white of similar height? Very rare.

Chi_archie · 08-08-12, 06:50 PM

Shari, you are really off base....

stick to tennis honey

Chi_archie · 08-08-12, 07:00 PM

its no so much biology... (by the way jumping off one or two feet has nothing to do with type 1 or 2a or 2b fibers)

its more about sociology.

just like in baseball, the field events in track tend to need more equipment, structured practice time with availabilty to equipment, coaching, long term development and patience.

many of the best raw black athletes come from hoods... hoods with almost zero access to the above things.... greatly diminishing the talent pool of blacks for events like pole vault, high jump, javelin, hammer..

mike conley or mike powell could have done really well with high jump if they hadn't focused on triple and long jump respectively

yes the body type, and flexibilty is a bit of a non fit for blacks as well

Mac4Lyfe · 08-08-12, 07:43 PM

Economics - Most black athletes that can jump can also play basketball, football or another sport. Which one do you think they are going to gravitate to? There's not a lot of money to be made in high jumping. At least none that a young black kid can see tangibly. Can't pick up a lot of girls playing field events...

The Fosbury flop changed the high jump. The technique can be taught but most inner city youth are not going to have access to a coach nor a high jump pit to practice.

Hurls · 08-08-12, 07:52 PM

Originally posted by wtt0315

black people don't like water and most don't like heights.

the height thing dont know much about but I live on the ocean and all I mean all of my black friends wont swim even in a pond?! Just dont get it one of them is just petrified I pushed him off the boat once at Lake Winnapasaukee I thought he was going to have a heart attack, not sure if it was cause the water or cause he Jordans got wet but either way whats the deal?

Chi_archie · 08-08-12, 07:57 PM

black people in the hoods, mostly never learn to swim, and have heard many horror stories of kids/adults drowning in water.

some of them are true

and any black person that ever does get in water, will tell a overly dramatic tail to their friends or kids saying how the almost drowned cause they "caught a cramp" or deangelo tried to dunk them, or a shark or crocodile in lake michigan tried to eat the.

dumb
dumb
dumb

InTheDrink · 08-08-12, 08:01 PM

jesus christ the first 15 posts or so in this thread are just spewing stupidity

thank god archer and rm18 came through

sotomayor's records may never be broken...must be that blacks cant compete in this sport