subject: Being Tall Field Sports [print this page] Being exceptionally tall has many advantages, but what about when it comes to sporting endeavour, in particular when it comes to field sports. So just what are the plus and minus points of height when it comes to Soccer, football, rugby etc. How can a player use extra height to gain a competitive advantage over an opponent who has a different physical make up.
Let's look at the key attributes of the taller sports person. First and foremost is the ability to reach and step further. Being taller implies longer arms and legs, in turn meaning longer reach ability and longer stride ability. This is a tremendous advantage in many sports, but in particular field sports. One of the key factors to soccer is to get to the ball first. More often than not, players are side by side, jostling for control of the ball - longer limbs gives a considerable advantage in this scenario. Clearly the ability to head the ball in soccer is key attribute for any player. Obviously, the ability to head a ball higher in it's trajectory than your opponents, means you are first to the ball. Often this is referred to as outjumping your opponent, but this is not the case. If you are 6 inches taller than your opponent, he's got to jump 7 inches higher than you to reach the ball first. I prefer to call it using-your-height. How many good young defenders and goal keepers are moved to different positions because their coach deems them too small for these pivotal positions.
Rugby is a unique field game in which there are individual positions that require different physical attributes. Traditionally the coach had his initial squad run a 50 yard dash and the slower ones became the forwards and the faster ones the backs. Following that, the two tallest forwards became the second row position players, who had two duties - jump for the ball in line outs and push for the ball in scrums. In the front row of scrums would be an area where taller athletes are typically at a disadvantage, as their backs are too long and they tend not to take the force of all the pushing to well.
Smaller field players however do have the advantage of quicker reaction speeds. The central nervous system can send signals from the brain to the hands and feet quicker if the distance to travel is shorter, i.e. if your are smaller. In theory, this should lead to reacting quicker than a taller opponent. This also leads to a shorter player being more balanced and able to change running direction quicker. Like many things in life, being tall has many advantages. Being tall in field sports is no different.
