Gymnastics is a sport that requires the utmost focus and coordination. There is a notion that tall people can’t do gymnastics. This notion is born from the fact that a large number of gymnasts are short, but just cause a lot of gymnasts are short doesn’t mean you can’t be a gymnast if you are tall. Let’s talk about science.
Shorter gymnast excel in this sport for several reasons. One of those reasons is because the shorter you are the less time and energy is needed to make full body rotations. This means that the closer your center of gravity is to the floor you are able to rotate at a faster rate.
Another reason dives deeper into our minds and how the body works. Our brain communicates to the body through nerves. It is a communication device that runs throughout our bodies. The farther the information has to travel from your brain to your muscles the longer it takes. These means that the taller you are the more time it takes for your brain to tell your hands and feet what to do. In gynmanstics your reaction time is key, and shorter people have a slight advantage.
This does not mean tall people can’t be gymnasts, there are quite a few gymnasts that find themselves as the outliers.
