Carpal Tunnel Clan

Me and my friend are arguing if short people have better balance than tall people. Who's right????
He says: Short people are lower to the ground and i better center of balance
I say: THATS TOTAL BULL

I would say taller, it's easier to balance a yardstick on your finger than it is a pencil.

Interesting topic
I'm 6'8", and feel like I have above average balance. I grew up riding skateboards, and have been mountain biking for the past eight years so that probably helps. I also wear a size 15 shoe... so that might help my stability.

Yes, but I bet you'll have sloping shoulders by 30, offsetting your center.
I'm hunched over in the desks all day at the university and Im not even that tall. Right shoulder pops when I roll it back to stretch, so I go to the gym again. Bench and overhead flyes reinforce shoulders pretty well. Kitchen counter top heights generally accommodate the average female height more too. Noticed early on my aptitude for crotch splashing when hunching over the average public sink, so it got me thinking a while ago. At 6'8, hope you got custom height everything. My dad's 6'3 and has had a disk replaced in his back.

Also, I have to know..... Im a taller person as well. Not a giant 6'8, but 6'1. Not fat, not skinny. I wear large and extra large clothes...but they accommodate fatties(no offense to anyone, that's my endearing term for bigger people) more than tall people. You shop at a big and tall or what(I heard they cater to the overweight more as well, by upping necksize and width before height.) I have seen some stores carrying medium tall/large tall more recently, big and tall are generally for people 6'4 and up I would think.

Back to balance, I think taller people have better balance, but it all depends how they are shaped. Symmetrically taller, just long legs, slanky shaped, etc.
Midgets may have the best balance(its an abnormal disability, so I dont know if you are considering it in the scheme of things) the best balance, but it depends on how you quantify the data. It can be skewed either way, which is why the responses have been more of a matter of opinion.

I'm abnormally tall: 1 inch shorter than Mr. Bean. I feel that I've always had great balance. I used to play a lot of b-ball as well and I was all over that court. I played more forward than center because I was agile. I'm also older than most of you (ahem), and luckily I've had no back or knee problems (knock on wood). I like what BullMoose said about the yardstick and pencil... It's quite true.

SMR wrote:Yes, but I bet you'll have sloping shoulders by 30...

As in, when I reach 30 years old? Hmmmm... I'm 37 And yes, I slouch a tad But so far, no back or knee problems.

Holy crap...where is the CTC basketball team sign-up!! You guys are serious tall bean and jim.

As for balance, I don't think it is size that matters, it's all in how you use it, errr, I mean, it is about physical shape. I think that SMR mentioned that above. For instance, take a look at a weeble. They wobble but don't fall down. They truly have the best balance.



Where are our wrestlers out there? MMA Fighters? I have always heard, yeah yeah, that a, a someone with the same body weight that was taller versus someone who was shorter, the shorter person had an advantage taking down the taller person. And all that goes without saying that the smaller person has to penetrate far enough in to attempt a take down because of the reach advantage that the taller person normally has.

It really is about mass though. Those with a big head will topple first (and hard).

I'm going to have to vote short people on this one because of a friend, he's 5'7" and his balance is amazing. He's a motorcycle rider and goes to meets, at the meets they usually have a slow race where two riders try to cover a distance as slow as possible without putting their feet down, basically a balancing competition, he has NEVER lost.

Some that have lost to him have even accused him of hacking, I mean cheating, because he can stop and keep his balance on a full size bike.

I'll only add that "short people are lower to the ground and are better center balanced" is a load of shit. If you ask anyone what that even means, chances are they won't even know what they are talking about. I don't even get what that means. It's just one of those bullshit lines that people try and use to end an argument. I personally don't believe in short versus tall, it's all just in the dexterity you were born with. Funny thing is, balance comes from you inner ear, so where does this centering bullshit come from? My tallest friend (Rob 6' 4") is easily the clumsiest person I know, trust me, I buy a lot of extra pint glasses when he's on shift at the restaurant, but then my wife (5' 1") could easily be runner up in that category as well. Total klutz. Right there, that "theory" is pure shit.

I know a motorcycle rider also...wink wink T2...

In theory, shorter people have a lower center of gravity and 'should' have an easier time balancing their body. How many people over six feet do you see walking the tight rope? Not many but they can. Maybe they choose not to.

Mike is correct in that the inner ear is where balance comes from and I can testify that a major ear infection wreaks havoc on ones balance. Maybe their is a correlation as to how the brain processes the input from the inner ear. I am not doctor, nor do I play one on TV.

WD, I would own a garage full of bikes if the wife would let me. Maybe when the kids are out of the house.

MikeFiend wrote:I'll only add that "short people are lower to the ground and are better center balanced" is a load of shit. If you ask anyone what that even means, chances are they won't even know what they are talking about. I don't even get what that means. It's just one of those bullshit lines that people try and use to end an argument. I personally don't believe in short versus tall, it's all just in the dexterity you were born with. Funny thing is, balance comes from you inner ear, so where does this centering bullshit come from? My tallest friend (Rob 6' 4") is easily the clumsiest person I know, trust me, I buy a lot of extra pint glasses when he's on shift at the restaurant, but then my wife (5' 1") could easily be runner up in that category as well. Total klutz. Right there, that "theory" is pure shit.

AMEN!

LOL i leave this topic for one day and it goes CRAZY!!!! HAHA looks like i was right

My 2nd born (Hawkeye, 12 yrs.) is now an inch taller than dad I'm 5' 11" . I still remember being in college... where the heck do all the years go.

/end random babble

Well im 5'3 and my dads like 5'5
I come from a really short family....
My friend Kyle (the one i was argueing with) is like 6'3 and hes HUGE! hes 15....He has NO balance at all!!!
and im 5'3 and have 10x better balance!!!
thanks how this all got started!! HAHAH

WarDad71 wrote:My 2nd born (Hawkeye, 12 yrs.) is now an inch taller than dad I'm 5' 11" . I still remember being in college... where the heck do all the years go.

/end random babble

Tell me about it. Feels like I just got out of high school... That lower center of gravity line is out of context. A sports car handles better than a mini van because x and y are the same, but z is smaller. If on the mini van you increase x and y so that it has the same ratio as the sports car, they would handle the same. A taller person will generally have longer legs, arms, penis, etc;... so there's no difference. Any questions?