Sports that favor short legs / long torso?

[dixon]

I'm a fairly tall guy, just a tad over 6'1", but my legs are very short and my torso is very long. When I sit down on a plane or bus my head is always way above everybody else's (because of the length from my hips to top of the head). My fiance also has pretty short legs for her height (not as bad as me) and her Dad is like that. So I figure my kids are gonna have silverback hind legs.

I know about lots of sports where having long legs is good (cycling, running for increased stride, they even say long legs are good for BJJ cuz those guys are like spiders, and easier for muay thai boxers to kick farther). But what sports favour somebody with short legs and a long torso? My arms are not short (not super long either though). Where is it good to have a low center of gravity?

[DNClay]

swimming

[TheBreadWinner]

powerlifting?

[DCSpartan]

I'm a fairly tall guy, just a tad over 6'1", but my legs are very short and my torso is very long. When I sit down on a plane or bus my head is always way above everybody else's (because of the length from my hips to top of the head). My fiance also has pretty short legs for her height (not as bad as me) and her Dad is like that. So I figure my kids are gonna have silverback hind legs.

I know about lots of sports where having long legs is good (cycling, running for increased stride, they even say long legs are good for BJJ cuz those guys are like spiders, and easier for muay thai boxers to kick farther). But what sports favour somebody with short legs and a long torso? My arms are not short (not super long either though). Where is it good to have a low center of gravity?

8600 posts in over 7 years and you havent actually done any sports or exercise?

[MyLastSerenade]

He would probably be a miscer..

[dwennimenn]

rowing perhaps..?

[dixon]

8600 posts in over 7 years and you havent actually done any sports or exercise?

I have, but they've been ones where top level guys have long legs.

[dixon]

rowing perhaps..?

Thanks. Never thought of this. There is a rowing club literally a minutes walk from my house (I live on a lake) and for some reason Ive never paid attention to it. Calling them tomorrow.

[onsidekick]

boxing, lowerd center of gravity means your more coordinated on your feet, and with decent length arms you could have good reach.

[brownj12]

Midget wrestlers always seem to have short limbs and long torsos.

[Ath88]

swimming

this. dont listen to anone else

[moorpheus]

Thanks. Never thought of this. There is a rowing club literally a minutes walk from my house (I live on a lake) and for some reason Ive never paid attention to it. Calling them tomorrow.

Absolutely NOT rowing. Rowing--at least on a pair or quad--requires people of similar leg lengths, because synchronizing strokes means similar leg-lengths.

I am a rower in Philadelphia, and I can only do single sculls. If I were to row on a team, my stroke would be over (as soon as my legs were fully extended and I'm going into lean back) and the others on my boat would be continuing.

The bodies of rowers are typically fairly long legged with long, strong and not bulky, muscles. Again. Most important is length and those of us with short legs can row on singles.

Low center of gravity is favored by gymnastics, and there, we can flourish. Tennis could be good. Even basketball--depending. Good luck.

[heavyhitter1987]

anything if you stay at it long enough.

[elterrible987]

boxing, lowerd center of gravity means your more coordinated on your feet, and with decent length arms you could have good reach.

yeah OP boxing. Youre going to adjust your style to what best works for you. Long reach is good but even guys with T rex arms like tyson and ricky hatton make it work with a different style. winky wright had very long forearms and had a style that took advantage of that.

[mjp22]

this. dont listen to anone else

Find pics of Michael Phelps. Long torso, short legs. I think they even did a piece on him during the 2008 Olympics about his body proportions.

Taken from this link gawker.com/5038018/michael-phelps-freakish-physique-explained
(I can't post links due to my post count

"Swim demon Michael Phelps won his 8th gold medal of the 2008 Olympics last night, his 14th overall. How does he do it? It's that crazy 6'4" bod of his! "Generally, a man's arm span equals his height but in his case it's 6'7"-three inches more than his height. Naturally his arms work as powerful propulsive paddles, giving him a clear edge over others. His lower body, interestingly, is shorter than that of an average man of his height. His relatively short legs result in less drag or resistance. In short, Phelps has an upper body of a 6'8" person but his lower body seems to be of someone who is only 5'10", which also make the perfect plane in water." More science after the jump."

[bl727]

I had a swim coach explain it to me thus: The longer a hull of a boat, the faster it will go. The same physics exist for swimming, where the torso is the hull. BUT, for 99.99% of swimmers, this doesn't really matter as technique trumps everything else.