Post by Deleted on Sept 3, 2018 17:07:27 GMT
Sports which are actually an advantage to be short in height:
Archery (skill sport, but short height allows better balance, better chance at hitting target)
Gymnastics (better balance, less chance for falling, easier to make smooth performances)
Equestrian (less weight on the horse)
Diving (similar to gymnastics, less likely to make splash or enter water uneven)
Surfing (shorter heights have better balance, lower center of gravity for not falling off)
Trampoline (similar to gymnastics, better balance, less chance for falling)
Shooting sport (skill sport, but short height allows better balance, better chance at hitting target)
Figure Skating (similar to gymnastics, better balance, less chance for falling)
Free Style Skiing and Snowboarding (similar to gymnastics, better balance, easier to perform acrobatic stunts)
Table tennis (easier to hit the low shots without bending too much)
Weightlifting (less distance to lift weight above head; most champions are under 5’6” or 1.7 meters)
Sports for which it is neither an advantage nor disadvantage and thus, still possible:
Auto racing (primarily skill sport with weight differences of little value)
Badminton (tall have longer reach, but short have quicker agility, balance)
Boxing (light weight classes)
Chess (no body frame requirement, although higher intelligence is definitely an advantage)
Cycling (mountain bike, BMX) less weight for the uphill climbs compensates for less weight/strength
Assoc. Football (soccer) skill sport and many champions have been various heights
Golf (taller body frame allows greater weight and strength for drives off the tee, but the sport is primarily a skill sport and not all courses have long ranges; Gary Player was 5'6" / 1.68m and I.Woosnam was 5'4" / 1.63m and both won the Master's as well as many other PGA victories)
Handball (individual event)
Judo (light weight classes)
Tae-kwon-do (light weight classes)
Sailing (less strength on smaller frame, but also less weight)
Stairclimbing (taller have longer stride length, but shorter athletes have less weight going up)
Skiing (alpine)
Speed skating (tall have longer strides, but short athletes can turn easier with less chance of falling)
Wrestling (Olympic style; light weight classes)
Cricket (some positions require quicker agility which allows short athletes to compete)
American football (kicker and running back only; several have been under 5’9” or 1.75 meters; kicker is a skill position and shorter running backs are harder to tackle and have quick agility for turns)
Baseball (2nd baseman, shortstop and designated hitter positions only, short distance to throw ball since positions are near center of diamond; and for hitting, less power, but compensates for that by having smaller strike zone, greater chance of getting on base via walks)
Sports which are generally not advised for those with short height:
All track running events and the marathon (taller people have longer stride length)
All field events in track & field (taller body frame allows greater weight and strength)
Basketball (reach, blocks, shooting; the average world-class basketball star is over 6’6” or 2 meters)
Volleyball (for same reasons as basketball, blocking, spiking, etc.)
Team Handball (for same reasons as basketball, shooting over someone, blocking, etc.)
Canoe & Kayak (taller body frame allows greater weight and strength)
Cycling (road and track due to taller body frame allowing greater weight and strength)
Fencing (taller body has longer reach)
Rowing (taller body frame allows greater weight and strength)
Skiing (cross country)
Swimming (taller body frame has longer strokes, larger hands, displacing more water, wingspan)
Tennis (taller frame allows slam shots and close volleys, easier reach, faster serves)
Water polo (similar to basketball, greater reach, height in shooting)
Field Hockey (tall have longer strides, but short athletes turn quicker, easier reach to the ball, however, taller players have greater reach for the ball and are allowed to use longer sticks)
(Ice) Hockey (taller body frame allows greater weight and strength and also greater reach)
Cricket (some positions, for example bowlers, favor taller heights)
American football (all positions except kicker and running back require large size for strength)
Baseball (all positions require long throwing ability which favor taller athletes, except shortstop and 2nd baseman)
A total of 29 sports can be trained for competitive level by those with short heights and 11 of those sports are actually an advantage to be short. There are no doubt more sports that could be listed, just the major known sports are shown in the above lists.
Best Team Sport for short athletes: Football (Soccer)
Assoc. Football (soccer) is by far the best team sport for short athletes and it is indisputably the most popular sport in the world. For World Cup competitions, virtually every country competes but just 32 make the final tournament. In 2014 Germany beat Argentina in the final championship match. The captain of the German team was Philipp Lahm who is 1.70 m (5 feet, 7 inches). The captain of Argentina was Lionel Messi who is 1.69 m (5 feet, 6 inches). And Messi was the highest paid athlete from any sport for many years. The only position where it might be an advantage to be taller is that of goalie, so that more of the goal is covered and for longer reach for the ball to stop it from going into goal. But for all other positions in football (soccer), height does not matter.
Football requires endurance skills as the players typically run over 10 km per game. It requires middle distance and sprint skills too as they chase for the ball. But most importantly, it requires skill and ball handling with the feet and body which does not require a tall height. Numerous football (soccer) stars have been as short as 1.62 m (5 feet, 4 inches) to 2.00 m (6 feet, 7 inches). In terms of height, football (soccer) is perhaps the most egalitarian team sport.
The second best team sport for short athletes is most likely baseball. Second baseman, shortstop, and designated hitter (DH) can be achieved by shorter athletes, which results in 3 out of 10 positions potentially available. Whereas in association football (soccer) nearly all positions with 10 out of 11 potentially available.
Archery (skill sport, but short height allows better balance, better chance at hitting target)
Gymnastics (better balance, less chance for falling, easier to make smooth performances)
Equestrian (less weight on the horse)
Diving (similar to gymnastics, less likely to make splash or enter water uneven)
Surfing (shorter heights have better balance, lower center of gravity for not falling off)
Trampoline (similar to gymnastics, better balance, less chance for falling)
Shooting sport (skill sport, but short height allows better balance, better chance at hitting target)
Figure Skating (similar to gymnastics, better balance, less chance for falling)
Free Style Skiing and Snowboarding (similar to gymnastics, better balance, easier to perform acrobatic stunts)
Table tennis (easier to hit the low shots without bending too much)
Weightlifting (less distance to lift weight above head; most champions are under 5’6” or 1.7 meters)
Sports for which it is neither an advantage nor disadvantage and thus, still possible:
Auto racing (primarily skill sport with weight differences of little value)
Badminton (tall have longer reach, but short have quicker agility, balance)
Boxing (light weight classes)
Chess (no body frame requirement, although higher intelligence is definitely an advantage)
Cycling (mountain bike, BMX) less weight for the uphill climbs compensates for less weight/strength
Assoc. Football (soccer) skill sport and many champions have been various heights
Golf (taller body frame allows greater weight and strength for drives off the tee, but the sport is primarily a skill sport and not all courses have long ranges; Gary Player was 5'6" / 1.68m and I.Woosnam was 5'4" / 1.63m and both won the Master's as well as many other PGA victories)
Handball (individual event)
Judo (light weight classes)
Tae-kwon-do (light weight classes)
Sailing (less strength on smaller frame, but also less weight)
Stairclimbing (taller have longer stride length, but shorter athletes have less weight going up)
Skiing (alpine)
Speed skating (tall have longer strides, but short athletes can turn easier with less chance of falling)
Wrestling (Olympic style; light weight classes)
Cricket (some positions require quicker agility which allows short athletes to compete)
American football (kicker and running back only; several have been under 5’9” or 1.75 meters; kicker is a skill position and shorter running backs are harder to tackle and have quick agility for turns)
Baseball (2nd baseman, shortstop and designated hitter positions only, short distance to throw ball since positions are near center of diamond; and for hitting, less power, but compensates for that by having smaller strike zone, greater chance of getting on base via walks)
Sports which are generally not advised for those with short height:
All track running events and the marathon (taller people have longer stride length)
All field events in track & field (taller body frame allows greater weight and strength)
Basketball (reach, blocks, shooting; the average world-class basketball star is over 6’6” or 2 meters)
Volleyball (for same reasons as basketball, blocking, spiking, etc.)
Team Handball (for same reasons as basketball, shooting over someone, blocking, etc.)
Canoe & Kayak (taller body frame allows greater weight and strength)
Cycling (road and track due to taller body frame allowing greater weight and strength)
Fencing (taller body has longer reach)
Rowing (taller body frame allows greater weight and strength)
Skiing (cross country)
Swimming (taller body frame has longer strokes, larger hands, displacing more water, wingspan)
Tennis (taller frame allows slam shots and close volleys, easier reach, faster serves)
Water polo (similar to basketball, greater reach, height in shooting)
Field Hockey (tall have longer strides, but short athletes turn quicker, easier reach to the ball, however, taller players have greater reach for the ball and are allowed to use longer sticks)
(Ice) Hockey (taller body frame allows greater weight and strength and also greater reach)
Cricket (some positions, for example bowlers, favor taller heights)
American football (all positions except kicker and running back require large size for strength)
Baseball (all positions require long throwing ability which favor taller athletes, except shortstop and 2nd baseman)
A total of 29 sports can be trained for competitive level by those with short heights and 11 of those sports are actually an advantage to be short. There are no doubt more sports that could be listed, just the major known sports are shown in the above lists.
Best Team Sport for short athletes: Football (Soccer)
Assoc. Football (soccer) is by far the best team sport for short athletes and it is indisputably the most popular sport in the world. For World Cup competitions, virtually every country competes but just 32 make the final tournament. In 2014 Germany beat Argentina in the final championship match. The captain of the German team was Philipp Lahm who is 1.70 m (5 feet, 7 inches). The captain of Argentina was Lionel Messi who is 1.69 m (5 feet, 6 inches). And Messi was the highest paid athlete from any sport for many years. The only position where it might be an advantage to be taller is that of goalie, so that more of the goal is covered and for longer reach for the ball to stop it from going into goal. But for all other positions in football (soccer), height does not matter.
Football requires endurance skills as the players typically run over 10 km per game. It requires middle distance and sprint skills too as they chase for the ball. But most importantly, it requires skill and ball handling with the feet and body which does not require a tall height. Numerous football (soccer) stars have been as short as 1.62 m (5 feet, 4 inches) to 2.00 m (6 feet, 7 inches). In terms of height, football (soccer) is perhaps the most egalitarian team sport.
The second best team sport for short athletes is most likely baseball. Second baseman, shortstop, and designated hitter (DH) can be achieved by shorter athletes, which results in 3 out of 10 positions potentially available. Whereas in association football (soccer) nearly all positions with 10 out of 11 potentially available.