Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul Markham
Did you read what it says?
However I do believe genetics play a large part in sport. African long distance runners, Afro Caribbean do well in most sports. Because of inbred genetics and environment.
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All sports have genetic components which play a role in success. With most sports, its usually 1 or 2 specific genetic traits. This is particularly true with traditional olympic sports.
There is nothing to "believe" as its all quite well studied and well documented.
Kenyans are disproportionately represented long distance running success because
1) they live 1 mile above sea level
2) they have the genetic traits for high vo2 max/high trainability
3) they grow up in areas where distance running is the primary mode of transportation
4) those successful in distance running have unique physiological makeup - 15% longer legs on average + 15% less muscle mass in legs on average (costing less energy to swing a longer pendulum)
.. all of these factors leading to greater running economy (which is what distance running is about)
Jamaicans are disproportionately represented in sprinting because they those who compete are genetically from one specific tribe in west africa where;
1) they are uniquely large and have a sprinters physiological makeup (narrow hips, shorter legs, more muscle mass etc)
2) carry the genetic trait for sickle cell
3) the above leading to a disproportionate amount of type 2b muscle fibers in their bodies as there muscles rely primarily on the body's anaerobic energy system
4) those succeeding in sprinting, having a disproportionate amount of type 2b muscle fibers in their legs/quads
all of these factors leading to an improved ability to apply more force to the ground, more efficiently and more times (which is what sprinting is)
high jumpers have to have the right achilles tendon length/thickness which dictates how much energy can be stored and released...
a major league baseball player cannot be a successful hitter without having a certain range of macular cones on the retina which dictate the quality of the image they see of both the release point of the baseball when its thrown and the rotational patterns of the stitches, enabling their brain to make a better quality educated guess as to the type and location of pitch so that they can initiate a swing earlier and more accurately.
a successful rowing team all have a disproportionate density of type2 b muscle fibers in their upper bodies/back
a successful basketball player has a height to wingspan ratio which is usually something like 1:1.15 to 1:1.25 (success in basketball is not about height per se)
a world class female gymnast has to be short (all are within certain physiological parameters).... cause,... basic physics
Successful body builders usually carry more than one copy of a mutated myostatin gene (which exists to limit muscle growth/mass - as a means to preserve energy)
None of these things have anything at all to do with "inbreeding".
All Olympic sports and most sports in general, and even positions in sports have dominant body types and genetic traits which lead to greater success in that specific sport or position.
Furthermore, successful athletes are statistically more likely to marry successful athletes and create athlete babies by passing on these genetic traits.