• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

Belly-buttons key to success in sport

Slartibartfast

Jesus loves you.
Supporting Member
DP Veteran
Monthly Donator
Joined
Jan 8, 2010
Messages
71,657
Reaction score
58,024
Location
NE Ohio
Gender
Male
Political Leaning
Liberal
Belly-buttons key to success in sport

Scientists have found the reason why blacks dominate on the running track and whites in the swimming pool - it's in their belly-buttons.
What's important is not whether an athlete has an innie or an outie but where his or her navel is in relation to the rest of the body, says the study published in the International Journal of Design and Nature and Ecodynamics.

So, according to this article, the placement of the belly button is important in sports performance. Your thoughts?
 
It doesn't make sense. At all. The presence of countries in a sport is far more likely to be determined by the level of poverty than by race. The reason blacks/Africans aren't as well represented in aquatic sports is very simple: funds. It costs money to pursue an aquatic sports career. Money in terms of taking care of a pool, going to the events etc. Blacks in America dominate sports like basketball and football because they would be funded by their schools. Why doesn't the same thing happen in Africa? Because the funds for such sports don't exist so they focus on low cost sports. It's not a racial thing but an economical thing. People who live in poorer countries tend to focus on low cost sports. Those in richer countries dominate expensive sports. Why don't we see a big Salvadorean presence in the tennis circuit?
 
The reason blacks/Africans aren't as well represented in aquatic sports is very simple: funds. It costs money to pursue an aquatic sports career. Money in terms of taking care of a pool, going to the events etc. Blacks in America dominate sports like basketball and football because they would be funded by their schools. Why doesn't the same thing happen in Africa? Because the funds for such sports don't exist so they focus on low cost sports. It's not a racial thing but an economical thing. People who live in poorer countries tend to focus on low cost sports. Those in richer countries dominate expensive sports. Why don't we see a big Salvadorean presence in the tennis circuit?

Well.....and then there's that.
 
The navel is the centre of gravity of the body, and given two runners or swimmers of the same height, one black and one white, "what matters is not total height but the position of the belly-button, or centre of gravity," Duke University professor Andre Bejan said.

I thought we already *knew* it was because of the center-of-gravity being different (sans the naval).
Why is this new?

Maybe when I heard about it before it was just unproven theory.
 
I thought we already *knew* it was because of the center-of-gravity being different (sans the naval).
Why is this new?

Maybe when I heard about it before it was just unproven theory.

I think the previous theory had something to do with chair shirts, but I am not certain.
 
Belly-buttons key to success in sport



So, according to this article, the placement of the belly button is important in sports performance. Your thoughts?

Interesting concerning the stride and torso lengths. There has to be a physical reason why blacks of west african heritage completely dominate sprinting given its a sport that almost every possible athlete has been tested. (sports like archery and badminton most likely do not have the best possible athletes because so many people are not exposed to them-but every kid in every grade school runs and those who are very fast are quickly noticed)

when I trained at the OTC at colorado springs they were starting "fast twitch-slow twitch" muscle analysis and the theory was west african combinations with whites had optimal fast twitch muscles while others-such as Kenyans had optimal oxygen carrying capability which is why American and Jamaican Blacks hold all the records in sprints while east AFricans hold almost all the records in distance running.

IN niche sports, records are often held by countries that emphasize the sports (Koreans in archery, Brits and Pakistanis in Squash) but in sports with huge world wide participation that are more genetic than training (Chinese dominate table tennis which is the most popular individual sport in the world because of vast numbers and superior coaches), there has to be a physical reason why New world blacks win so many sprints--(while whites with the same coaches do not)
 
It doesn't make sense. At all. The presence of countries in a sport is far more likely to be determined by the level of poverty than by race. The reason blacks/Africans aren't as well represented in aquatic sports is very simple: funds. It costs money to pursue an aquatic sports career. Money in terms of taking care of a pool, going to the events etc. Blacks in America dominate sports like basketball and football because they would be funded by their schools. Why doesn't the same thing happen in Africa? Because the funds for such sports don't exist so they focus on low cost sports. It's not a racial thing but an economical thing. People who live in poorer countries tend to focus on low cost sports. Those in richer countries dominate expensive sports. Why don't we see a big Salvadorean presence in the tennis circuit?

lack of coaches-there are lots of eastern bloc tennis stars who come from very humble means but because tennis is an olympic sport, those former soviet bloc countries did have a coaching network in place and the good ones quickly get to the USA. Maria Sharapova-the richest woman athlete in terms of endorsements ever came to the USA with her father and nothing else because a top american player (Martina N I believe) got her an audition with a top US coach.

but I agree to some extent. track is cheap and its easy to separate the cream out in that rather quickly.

for something like archery or table tennis its hard to spot talent quickly meaning you have to invest in alot of athletes to find a few contenders. IN track it takes about 15 seconds to see if a kid has any talent in the sprints
 
I think the previous theory had something to do with chair shirts, but I am not certain.

Hmm, yes, possibly. . . If you wear a chair shirt and bend at the waist, lift a chair, and then try to stand up you cannot if your center of gravity is too low. This is because chair shirts have an almost kryptonite like effect on the human body.
 
Back
Top Bottom