I was wondering what everyone thought would be the maximum that someone could hop?
I’m talking (realistically) if someone who had a huge vertical leap (good jumping genetics) and became really good, how high do you think they could hop?
Personally I don’t think I’d ever be able to do over 125cm. probably 120 would be my max, but I can’t jump very high/don’t have good jumping “genetics”
Anyways, what do you think??
-Ryan
I think if we got some body like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykJnFVU6Bxo&mode=related&search= to uni, he/she could get some considerable height
I think I read that, once you mastered the technique, you could jump twice your normal jumping hieght on a 20"
DAM!!! 66 inches!
That could be a world record jump for keeping your legs under you!
I think someone could probably go 120-130 if they practiced alot. I’ve only been riding for 6 months, and can go 60 something, so I think some one could easily double that.
the highest i have ever jumped is 60" I have a video somewhere I will post it. the funniest part is the highest I have ever hope on my unicycle is 31"
Hah, I thought you meant 60" on your unicycle…I didn’t believe you…
I think the highest anyone can hop is just an impossible question. At some point there will always be someone who can hop a bit higher than the previous record, eventualy any record will pretty much always be beaten. You see it happening in other sports where we think the physical limits have been pushed too far then finaly after a few years someone beats it. I think the process may be slower for unicycling since less people do it than other sports but the same thing will happen. It is kind of like one of those curves that always gets bigger but never gets to a point (I think its called a limit but I only passed calc due to a smart korean girl helping me).
My guess is the limit is probably around 1.5 meters, the genetics can only get you a tiny bit more, I think technique is still pretty much the biggest determining factor.
Yes, technique is everything. Genetics has a small role that may increase learning time etc. +1
…and equipment - heavy/light uni, and improved equipment over time.
Maybee that 2X’s your jumping hieght thing I read was not including lifting your feet.
Using this technique while a sophmore in high school my max was 22". There was some guy who could jump like 3.5’. I think Jordan’s virt at the time was 4’.
I read a good techinique on a trials bike forum for being more explosive with your moves. Jumping into the air and bringing your knees up almost to your shoulders in the air, doing this about 10 times every day was suppose to really help fast jerky moves. This should help snaping the uni up in the air.
that’s true to a point, but I mean people aren’t gonna keep getting better till they can hop fifteen meters over a house…there has to be some limit.
I don’t usually chime in on these kinds of questions or threads but technique is only one part of jumping, and probably a minor part once the level of competition is hig (where everyone’s technique is excellent). Look at a high jump competition at the Olympics or world championships. All the champs have a hig ration of fast twitch muscles and you can’t train that. It’s almost all genetic. Same as sprinting speed. You can increase your speed through training but you can’t get it if you don’t have it.
So once you get you’re technique ironed out, the really high jumpers are going to be the ones who have the highest ration of fast twitch, explosive muscle fiber.
JL
but isn’t it true that by training with quick bursts you will develope fast twitch muscles. or am I way off on this?
My understanding is that you are only born with a certain ratio of fast and slow twitch muscle fibers. You can train both those types to fire better, and more efficiently, but you will still have less of them in total.
So, someone with very few fast twitch muscle fibers could train them all the time, and then someone with many fast-twitch muscle fibers could come along, and train very little, and be more explosive than the first person.
-Ryan
You are born with a ratio of fast twitch to slow twitch…
Thru training, you can adjust that ratio some. If I neglect my fast twitch and only do slow twitch muscles (say by training for a marathon) my ratio will change over time…
BUT… I have a limited amount of change I can accomplish… I can only develop my fast twitch or slow twitch so far. Eventually genetics or natural ability comes into play…
I have a lot of slow twitch muscle stock… given the same training and technique, I could never outjump a guy who just naturally has a 30" vertical leap. If I out train him and/or out technique him, I might stay ahead.
Unicycling is still pretty young and small… Who knows… the best jumpers might only be in the 80th percentile of training, natural ability, and technique. Eventually, it might take people being in the 99th percentile of natural ability, training, and technique to be the best. Records will increase slowly then.
Keld
me thinks the vid is backwards;)