@@chris9871000 ahh yes, here we have the English Lang PHD on a mission to correct every grammatical error on the internet even though you 100% understood what he was saying
I’ve noticed, being around sports so much, that the guys with the longer tendon are most of the time more athletic. Some one put it this way. The length of the tendon may contribute somewhat, but maybe more a sign of other structural adaptations suited for athleticism.
The trait of having long tendons is mainly is sub saharan africans, of these africans west africans have a higher percentage of faster twitch muscle fibres so long tendons is just a bi product of the ethnic groups that have the explosive genes.
@@boho3785 first, it was just a joke. So yeah. But more importantly, you comment caught my attention. By your logic, even the objectively smartest person has someone smarter than them, right? But how can be the smartest if someone's smarter? Isn't your comment a bit contradicting.
@@vallewabbel9690 well in theory there should be. Someone out there who would know more information, memorized more data and has studied more areas than anyone else. Sure, an omniscient person could not exist, but someone who's objectively more knowledgeable than the rest should. And btw, when talking about someone being smart, I'm referring to "book smarts" and not mastery of practical skills. Much like how there will always be the tallest person in the world, the biggest whale, the fastest falcon, there will always be someone, somewhere out there, who has the most book knowledge.
@@DblockPrado buddy bodybuilders don’t train for athleticism and carry significantly more weight than iverson his legs aren’t strong just because of his jumping. his elastic strength which is more tendon based then muscle based
You blowing up. I hope u become one of the biggest youtubers out there. I guarantee you will hit a million by March 2020. I'll be with you all the way. Keep up the good vids
Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard. When talented people work hard, you need to be talented. In most cases you can only compensate to a certain extent. You'll never see a Nate Robinson sized O-Lineman, for example, and most sports just fall somewhere else on that spectrum
vick hj bro if you don’t watch basketball or just don’t watch it a lot that’s ok but you’re not gunna say stuff like that bc that’s completely false kobe could contourt his body and make ridiculous layups and kd has dunked on ppl that doesn’t have anything to do with genetics I’m sure u would love to have kds body right now
Since you talk about athletes. Can you eventually make a video on fast vs lost twitch fiber. How you activate/work/train your fast twitch muscles fiber.
Ibrahim Al-Awwad you train fast twitch fibres by doing explosive plyometric exercises such as jumping or sprinting. Slow twitch fibres can be trained by using slower movements during exercises. Sprinters need fast twitch because they need to be responsive, marathon runners want to have slow twitch fibres because they need less energy and the sport isn’t about being explosive.
While total length doesn't matter, length of Achilles tendon insertion from the joint center is very important factor in force production. Muscles produce force using torque and a simple torque equation (in the case of biomechanics) shows torque = Force * perpendicular distance from joint center. So increasing the Achilles tendon insertion length would increase mechanical advantage of an athlete and increase his torque capabilities all while force production is constant.
I know this is an old video but if you think about elasticity as a tension force (because tension describes the force pulling on the Achilles tendon) you can see that a longer Achilles tendon would equal to be more potential tension the Achilles tension could hold, which happens to be a direct relationship to the amount of elasticity the tendon can hold
Hi doctor! You are right that the same elastic material of different lengths have different spring constants, so you can use the concept of stress and strain instead. The young modulus, which is constant for the same elastic material, is equal stress/strain, and so the stress-strain graph will be a straight line graph. Using this graph you can find that the strain energy per volume which a material can store before breaking is the same for the same material, and since an Achilles Tendon of a longer length likely has a larger volume, it can store more energy and I’d assume has a lower chance of tearing. Also thank you for these videos I really enjoy them :)
I think one aspect behind the physics of it is that a longer spring can perform the same amount of total work while having a lower peak force. This is all speculation because it's based in idealized spring formulas which obviously are only approximations of real tendons, and I have no clue where that approximation fails in reality so perhaps this is all negated by some physical realities... but here goes... Regardless of spring coefficient, for a given amount of momentum to be imparted by a spring, it must apply some amount of force over some amount of time. If the duration over which that force is applied is short, then the force must proportionally be that much stronger to equal that same amount of momentum. So, if a tendon is short, it needs to pack that same amount of total work/change in momentum into a shorter timeframe as it has less room to work with. That means a higher peak force is applied through the tendon, perhaps reaching levels where tears to the Achilles become common. Conversely, applying that same amount of total momentum through a longer tendon means that the tendon can have a longer "throw" to it, so to speak, in that the application of force can be more gradual and thus less likely to cause a peak amount of force that is capable of causing physiological harm. This is comparable to spring rates in cars, where short springs require high spring compression rates to result in the same ideal ride height as longer springs.. and how they make for a much bumpier and rougher ride with higher peak forces transmitting through to the body of the car and the driver. Surely the same factors are at work in human physiology, where short tendons are capable of faster responses to things, but also can give rise to exert higher momentary forces on the body, giving rise potentially to a higher likelihood of tears within the tendon or where it connects to the rest of the body.
Essentially, a force will stretch individual "components" of a spring an equal length, no matter the size of the spring. This property is due to the fact that a perfectly elastic spring always keeps a uniform structure, meaning that each component acts independently of the others. In other words, the total length a force stretches a spring grows linearly as the spring increases in size. By the equation F = kx, that association would only be possible if spring constant were to decrease since force is held constant. Therefore, spring constant is inversely proportional to spring length. That is, a shorter spring will have a higher spring constant than a longer spring. Moreover, for a longer spring to store as much elastic potential energy as a shorter spring, it must be stretched a greater distance. This relationship can be seen in the equation PE = (1/2)kx^2, where spring constant is inversely proportional to the square of spring stretch. In the case of Giannis, his Achilles tendon functions like a longer spring. While it does have to flex more to store a certain amount of energy, the increased length of the tendon itself allows for a higher maximum storage of energy. This result occurs because energy is directly proportional to the square of stretch, not to stretch only.
Sheesh, my admiration for you just keeps growing. I'm a former engineer as well. And going into the medical field as well, physical therapist, still in school though
Isaiah R. Ppl pick up on different topics better than others and in this case. He knows a lot about how muscles work but there is always going to be someone who understands the concept better
I believe the ratio between the length of Achilles tendon and the length of the foot determines if someone has a lot of speed,power....etc or to be more efficient
I get that you said a shorter tendon would result in a faster release of energy. But would a longer one not store more? So then the real question is whats more important, more stored energy or a faster release?
3:52 that can’t be right cos you look at guys like giannis (13 inches), Lebron (12 inches) and Jordan (12 inches) they’re some of the most explosive players ever and they all have super long Achilles.
When you measure the tendon is it relative? Like if he is a giant a 13in tendon isn't ridiculous. If he is 5 foot and has a 10in tendon that is crazy relative to the size
I think longer tendon has greater potential to generate force but over a longer time. Giannis and other springy athletes have long tendons but they also are more fast twitch dominant and have elite tendon stiffness that allows their tendon or produce force quicker
In the jumping world we reference more of the Hooke's Law equation rather than the elastic potential energy equation from a physics standpoint. Stiffness of the spring and how much you can deform it matters more for overall force production rather than what its starting length is. So for us jumpers we want really stiff and strong tendons, BUT we need to have the muscle strength and stiffness in order to be able to actually stretch it and get that return of energy. Obviously you probably already know that a muscle has to be stiffer than the tendon in order to stretch it and that muscle stiffness is proportional to its activity (force), whereas tendons have a constant stiffness, so that's why doing things like plyos and just max effort approach jumping is phenomenal for developing that muscle "stiffness" and then we do things like strength training to get our tendon stiffer. Idk if that helped you out or not but there you go!
What I don’t get about all this is that jumpers are generally taught to leap with dorsiflexion (toes not pointed out) so the gastrocnemius (calf muscle) isn’t even being used during jumping. So why does it even matter? Instead of looking at the Achilles, wouldn’t the tendons involving the quadriceps or the hamstrings be more important in explosiveness anyway??
I think longer tendons are also thought to be more efficient because of shorter muscle bellies. My ex phys professor mentioned this has effects like reducing drag.
OK, does the length of the fulcrum ankle to heel make a difference in jumping force? I have noticed that some people have heels that protrude back much farther from the ankle than others.
Most of the explosive NBA players all have long achilles. MJ, Kobe, AI, Vince Carter, Jason Richardson, Spudd Webb, Nate Robinson, TMac to name a few. All of them have the same long achilles like Giannis, just not as long, but have that short/high calf & all can jump outta the gym.
The Achilles is attached in series with the muscle. So having a longer more elastic tendon would make it slower to transfer tensile force from the muscle to the tendon.
People with longer Achilles tendons tend to be more springy. I'd argue having a long Achilles tendon is also better for sprinting, not just long-distance running. Nearly all of the world class sprinters have long Achilles tendons. People with shorter achilles tendons are more muscular driven. They're great at shorter sprints (Su Bingtian is a prime example) and are also really good at single-effort jumps. I know a people with a short Achilles tendon that can jump 35 inches, but I'd absolutely dust them in a sprint race. Long achilles tendoned people tend to be better at reactive plyometrics (Multi-effort Hurdle hops, pogos, bounding, etc.)
I was about ask long question about how to deal with body injuries but realized you would suggest going to physical therapist. All that said thanks for these video Doctor
See the thing is that if you train properly and you have a longer tendon you will be an extreme athlete but you have to train fast twitch muscle fibers too
@@johnnycardinell8060 I just wanted to point out that higher cut calves don't equal more athletism For example lebron has bulky low cut calves and hes got one of the highest verts of all time
Günther Schwarz i think its more other way around having longer tendon may prevent him from injuries since it can stand with his weight everytime he moves or jump..
Albert Einstein Lebron doesnt have short and bulky calves lol, his calves arent big and they are higher than average, like most black men, its not that high like giannis but still high.
For an isotropic material your elasticity constant should stay constant regardless if you cut it. You can’t stretch a shorter piece as much as a longer piece for the same constant bc the strain is a ratio of the original dimension (in this example length) and the deformed length. This is an interesting concept to look at for a biomechanical project 👀
You should do a video on athletes genetics bc i saw something about the less fat you have on nerves the more responsive they are and it said the majority of athletes (90%?) had a very small amount
I think you may have it backwards actually. The myelin sheath is mainly lipids and is what allows nervous signals to travel faster. So my guess would be more fat on nerves = better responsiveness. But idk I could be wrong 😅
Hey Brian just a thought thou - what stretches more: a muscle or the tendon? I always used to think it's the muscle - even if you flex it, then under pressure (when in process of jumping) it is more stretchable then tendon, therefore when you use the calf muscle to get your lift on the foot, the shorter the muscle is - not only can you flex it quicker (the question of quick and slow muscle fibres is not a concern here, it is what it is, if all of those are shorter then maximum flex should? be quicker), but also the pull is less flexible, therefore giving more power for lift off. What do you think of such theory?
I was an engineer before I was dr 😳😳😳😳😳😳 ......umm, for most of us, one of those is a somewhat insurmountable feat. I was impressed, now I’m just sorta feeling defeated. lol The only “sport” I have ever been interested in or watched, is mma (perhaps a little boxing and collegiate wrestling here and there). Nevertheless, great content and I love you channel. Thank you for all of the work and effort that goes into it.
Yes but that's because they are western african decent who tend to have short calve muscles. But are they explosive because of the tendon? I don't think so it's mainly about fast twitch muscle fibre percentage.
@@JayzsMr im not saying they are athletic because of that but that is a common trait found in athletes. If you actually check pictures, a lot of NBA players have high calf inserts. Two notable players that have the opposite Blake Griffen and Zion Williamson.
Hey Brian! Can you please do an updated video addressing Michael Porter Jr? He had a spinal/back injury I believe when he was at Missouri. There are reports that he has “drop foot” not 100% sure what that is, just know it’s a nerve issue. Very interesting injury and his future in basketball is in doubt. Thanks again !
I don't exactly know why but longer tendons freak me out a little bit. I feel like because the muscle belly becomes shortened after a tendon rupture I kinda instinctively associate a longer tendon with a higher risk of rupture Is there any proven correlation with tendon lenght and likeliness of tendon rupture?
I don’t think tendons stretch enough to the point that it would hamper explosive movement. I’m also curious how you got into med school as an engineer because it’s such a drastic shift in career paths.
He is privileged by having parents with plenty of money that are willing to let him spend a fortune just taking different classes and seeing what he wants to do
I think it has more to do with the total energy absorbed, which for anything elastically deforming is equal to the max deformation deltaL/L times the elastic modulus multiplied by volume, and divided by two, so a longer tendon, is going to be able to absorb more energy elastically, before failing in a tear... could mean better injury prevention
It’s better to have a longer tendon because if you strengthen it and train it the right way while having a long tendon you will have more potential physicaly
Do you think tendon length is a factor in injury or prevention? As in having a longer tendon potentially disperses stress over a greater area, making injury less common?
some weight lifters, specially Olympic and powerlifters are able to generate a lot of force through their posterior chain and they look like they have kankles. It's just that their kanckles are all muscle. Of course people storing a lot of fat in the lower legs are going to be be slower off the ground since fat can't store or generate energy while adding more weight. "fat don't fly"
My thoughts are on the Young modulus which determines how much force is required to deform the tendon. The length changes how much strain the same amount of stress might bring, because a smaller portion of the length has been deformed.
giannis' vert isnt that high compared to some smaller guards. i think people consider him freak athlete due to the fact that he is about as athletic as a 6'5 or 6'6 guard but in the body of a 6'11 man with way oversized limbs
The Achilles of the Greek freak allows him to go take 9 foot long strids and to be at 3 point range and without dribbling take 2 steps and get a dunk just like that
Isnt everything perportional though? Yea Giannis is crazy long tendons, which can exert more energy, but a lot of energy is needed just to move that enormous body.
It's all action/reaction. The tendon only has energy in it because a force was applied. More force required to stretch the tendon potentially, more force released.
Joe Ferrari right and this may not be all the way related because yes his tendon is long but giannis doesn’t have the highest vertical in the league or anything
@@toocold6108 That's true his actual leaping ability is around average in comparison to other NBA players but his freakish length allows him to dunk over anybody and out of strange angles.
Tore my Achilles about 7 months ago. No surgery but it has reconnected. I can dunk again already which is a good thing. This video is interesting though. 👍🏼
What's wrong with this comment section? When i read the title i was expecting the first comment to be "That's what she said" You lads are too intelectual for me :))
Both mj and lebron and Kobe are in the top 5-10 for tendon length. In the nba. Both lebron and mj have over an 11 inch Achilles Kobe has nearly a 12 inch Achilles. I think the best bro is wrong cause I have never seen someone with a 7 inches jump has high as those guys. Most high jumpers have long Achilles. Giannis himself has 40 inch vert at 6’11. Being the tall and jumping that high is insane. Not many at that height can do that. Having a shorter Achilles will not give an advantage in jumping maybe in jumping quicker but that don’t mean higher as the energy transfer is not efficient. So you get off the ground fast but go now where fast
I'm 5'9 right now with a 12 in Achilles tendon at 15... I used to run and jump everyday very fast however I dont run as much as I used to. I remember getting a 126 on the pacer test. How do I revive my speed again?
in a league of freaks- giannis is the freakiest of them all. i never thought i d see someone with more physical gifts than lebron- but here he is. he s what i would have made on nba 2k in the past- but they wouldnt allocate enough points to make him. imagine - a 7 footer with the movement of a guard- strenght of a centre- and athletciism of a 3. i remember when jonathan bendercame out they said- he has hte most phsyical gifts of any player- but he played like a 7 footer- awkward and gangly- this guy is unreal. the big question is - if the nba is the most evolving of all sports- it shows us what is capable athletically more than any other sport- with each generation improving on the last.... ( for example tennis or golf or footbal do not make such huge or even visible leaps) .. then the most exciting question- biggest question is... what is coming next...
See though.....its not thw fact that Giannis has Achilles length its his overall both length and as you said long distance running that allows him to stay in better shape during the course of the game. He is naturally longer and taller than most.....if Giannis was the average length of someone his size i would assume he wouldnt beas dominate.
Did you ever do a video on a infected hole that was replaced with a stomach muscle and skin graft on the outer right lower leg by the ankle and what to look for in the healing process?
"Before I was a Doctor, I was an Engineer" Good God.....
Now imma UA-camr
Then follows up by referring to smarter people than him, reminding me to look down in public
He probably means in undergrad
Go Duke! Not an engineer, studied engineering. Sure he is plenty smart
I think graduating with a master's degree and undergrad degree both in engineering still makes me an engineer, no?
sheesh engineer and doctor, my guy you look like your in your late 20s
He could walk around in Highschool and no one would notice 😅
Lol I'm 30, so still young but not too young haha
*you’re
@@chris9871000 ahh yes, here we have the English Lang PHD on a mission to correct every grammatical error on the internet even though you 100% understood what he was saying
Kickboxfanatiker yeah bc he’d look like a teacher
I’ve noticed, being around sports so much, that the guys with the longer tendon are most of the time more athletic.
Some one put it this way. The length of the tendon may contribute somewhat, but maybe more a sign of other structural adaptations suited for athleticism.
The trait of having long tendons is mainly is sub saharan africans, of these africans west africans have a higher percentage of faster twitch muscle fibres so long tendons is just a bi product of the ethnic groups that have the explosive genes.
Giannis is a literal freak of nature
@Seagullman Seagull Exactly!
Not that impressive height to wingspan ratio. But he is a freak.
Seagullman Seagull fo real !
@Shadow 1908 the Greek free from Nigeria..
@@lilbiggie666 Kawhi's height to wingspan is insane
Was an engineer before becoming a doctor...
“But, thankfully, smarter people than me...”
Blasphemy
How
There’s always someone smarter than anybody.
@@boho3785 first, it was just a joke. So yeah.
But more importantly, you comment caught my attention. By your logic, even the objectively smartest person has someone smarter than them, right? But how can be the smartest if someone's smarter? Isn't your comment a bit contradicting.
@@idiosyncrasy7703 there's no objectively smartest person
@@vallewabbel9690 well in theory there should be. Someone out there who would know more information, memorized more data and has studied more areas than anyone else. Sure, an omniscient person could not exist, but someone who's objectively more knowledgeable than the rest should. And btw, when talking about someone being smart, I'm referring to "book smarts" and not mastery of practical skills. Much like how there will always be the tallest person in the world, the biggest whale, the fastest falcon, there will always be someone, somewhere out there, who has the most book knowledge.
scientific proof that length does matter.
Chet Beasley size* 😉
This should be the most liked comment
And girth
he said that longer tendons makes you slower at jumping not exactly ideal, but it is better for long distance lol
S L Giannis’ height offsets it i guess haha he barely has to jump to dunk
Video revisiting Kawhi's recent mystery quad injury or nah?
Big Daddy faked it
Johnny manziel #2hunnit #money #flyhighsquad buck fan 🤡
Johnny manziel #2hunnit #money #flyhighsquad that’s been there since ucla
Yeah it seems manageable at this point, my mans Kawhi bout to get another ring
Nicholas Davis wasn’t he on the spurs at that time
Dang 13 inches is a lot for an...
Achilles
😉
😉
And a penis!
You kind of gave it away when you used “an” instead of “a”.
16.5 🙃🙃🙃😜
IDK if you already did a video on it, but you should talk about genetics on sports :)
Smoothie yeaaa he actually should
Clayton Bigsby so true
@Clayton Bigsby Yeah , black people dominates on all athletic activities ,too OP for us normal humans.
Too risky of a topic for mainstream UA-cam popularity, try looking for videos genetic IQ disparities, they’re not too popular.
@@smoothie3027 Besides swimming
That’s why Allen Iverson was a great athlete. The Achilles is a big part of athleticism. Iverson was skinny but could jump with anyone. 👀
His legs were incredibly strong. Most bodybuilders can’t get an inch off the ground with their giant fat ass calves
@@DblockPrado buddy bodybuilders don’t train for athleticism and carry significantly more weight than iverson his legs aren’t strong just because of his jumping. his elastic strength which is more tendon based then muscle based
@@jaysavv508 nah they’re trash they should just jump higher
You blowing up. I hope u become one of the biggest youtubers out there. I guarantee you will hit a million by March 2020. I'll be with you all the way. Keep up the good vids
Jason Mathieu want to bet?
This comment didn't age well 😂
only 800k to go
Haha hey now! I liked the support! Sports have been so slow, channel is equally so. My personal goal is 1 mil in 3 years
Spoke a little too soon😂😂 you'll get there
His frame is definetly a factor, but what makes him a real Freak is his hard work. A 2013 Giannis could never dunk from the free throw line.
DJ Hasta sure he works hard, but it helps to have the genetic advantage. Giannis and Zions are born with a physical advantage
Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard.
When talented people work hard, you need to be talented. In most cases you can only compensate to a certain extent. You'll never see a Nate Robinson sized O-Lineman, for example, and most sports just fall somewhere else on that spectrum
and steroids
vick hj just curios how does kd and Kobe have a genetic disadvantage?
vick hj bro if you don’t watch basketball or just don’t watch it a lot that’s ok but you’re not gunna say stuff like that bc that’s completely false kobe could contourt his body and make ridiculous layups and kd has dunked on ppl that doesn’t have anything to do with genetics I’m sure u would love to have kds body right now
Since you talk about athletes. Can you eventually make a video on fast vs lost twitch fiber. How you activate/work/train your fast twitch muscles fiber.
Ibrahim Al-Awwad you train fast twitch fibres by doing explosive plyometric exercises such as jumping or sprinting. Slow twitch fibres can be trained by using slower movements during exercises. Sprinters need fast twitch because they need to be responsive, marathon runners want to have slow twitch fibres because they need less energy and the sport isn’t about being explosive.
You just have to be black bro
Scott Hollins doing exercises with a heavy load also trains fast twitch muscles
Like can you make an ultimate guide to “fast twitch fiber” kinda of how you did it with ankle sprain and jumpers knew
@@AoNLobby yeah that works for me
While total length doesn't matter, length of Achilles tendon insertion from the joint center is very important factor in force production. Muscles produce force using torque and a simple torque equation (in the case of biomechanics) shows torque = Force * perpendicular distance from joint center. So increasing the Achilles tendon insertion length would increase mechanical advantage of an athlete and increase his torque capabilities all while force production is constant.
I know this is an old video but if you think about elasticity as a tension force (because tension describes the force pulling on the Achilles tendon) you can see that a longer Achilles tendon would equal to be more potential tension the Achilles tension could hold, which happens to be a direct relationship to the amount of elasticity the tendon can hold
Have you seen Kangaroo ?
The can jump 32 Feet / 10 meters in one skip
all in the hips.
Hi doctor! You are right that the same elastic material of different lengths have different spring constants, so you can use the concept of stress and strain instead. The young modulus, which is constant for the same elastic material, is equal stress/strain, and so the stress-strain graph will be a straight line graph. Using this graph you can find that the strain energy per volume which a material can store before breaking is the same for the same material, and since an Achilles Tendon of a longer length likely has a larger volume, it can store more energy and I’d assume has a lower chance of tearing. Also thank you for these videos I really enjoy them :)
I think one aspect behind the physics of it is that a longer spring can perform the same amount of total work while having a lower peak force. This is all speculation because it's based in idealized spring formulas which obviously are only approximations of real tendons, and I have no clue where that approximation fails in reality so perhaps this is all negated by some physical realities... but here goes...
Regardless of spring coefficient, for a given amount of momentum to be imparted by a spring, it must apply some amount of force over some amount of time. If the duration over which that force is applied is short, then the force must proportionally be that much stronger to equal that same amount of momentum. So, if a tendon is short, it needs to pack that same amount of total work/change in momentum into a shorter timeframe as it has less room to work with. That means a higher peak force is applied through the tendon, perhaps reaching levels where tears to the Achilles become common. Conversely, applying that same amount of total momentum through a longer tendon means that the tendon can have a longer "throw" to it, so to speak, in that the application of force can be more gradual and thus less likely to cause a peak amount of force that is capable of causing physiological harm. This is comparable to spring rates in cars, where short springs require high spring compression rates to result in the same ideal ride height as longer springs.. and how they make for a much bumpier and rougher ride with higher peak forces transmitting through to the body of the car and the driver. Surely the same factors are at work in human physiology, where short tendons are capable of faster responses to things, but also can give rise to exert higher momentary forces on the body, giving rise potentially to a higher likelihood of tears within the tendon or where it connects to the rest of the body.
Essentially, a force will stretch individual "components" of a spring an equal length, no matter the size of the spring. This property is due to the fact that a perfectly elastic spring always keeps a uniform structure, meaning that each component acts independently of the others.
In other words, the total length a force stretches a spring grows linearly as the spring increases in size. By the equation F = kx, that association would only be possible if spring constant were to decrease since force is held constant. Therefore, spring constant is inversely proportional to spring length. That is, a shorter spring will have a higher spring constant than a longer spring.
Moreover, for a longer spring to store as much elastic potential energy as a shorter spring, it must be stretched a greater distance. This relationship can be seen in the equation PE = (1/2)kx^2, where spring constant is inversely proportional to the square of spring stretch.
In the case of Giannis, his Achilles tendon functions like a longer spring. While it does have to flex more to store a certain amount of energy, the increased length of the tendon itself allows for a higher maximum storage of energy. This result occurs because energy is directly proportional to the square of stretch, not to stretch only.
Sheesh, my admiration for you just keeps growing. I'm a former engineer as well. And going into the medical field as well, physical therapist, still in school though
this dude saying there’re dudes way smarter than him makes me insecure 😐
Isaiah R. Ppl pick up on different topics better than others and in this case. He knows a lot about how muscles work but there is always going to be someone who understands the concept better
Isaiah R. You’re naturally insecure
And there’s someone smarter than those dudes
He's being humble
My Achilles was aching watching this video but what really helped me not focus on that was his eyebrows
My achilles was uncomfortable the whole video the area is so sensitive i can literally feel him stretching that stretchy thing. 😂
I believe the ratio between the length of Achilles tendon and the length of the foot determines if someone has a lot of speed,power....etc or to be more efficient
Can you do a video on foam rolling?
Nikko Santos yes great idea
I need to know if that actually helps
@@johnnycardinell8060 Studied Kinesiology and all my prof swore by it. It does help
Foam rolling is a bunch of hot horse shit
I get that you said a shorter tendon would result in a faster release of energy. But would a longer one not store more? So then the real question is whats more important, more stored energy or a faster release?
3:52 that can’t be right cos you look at guys like giannis (13 inches), Lebron (12 inches) and Jordan (12 inches) they’re some of the most explosive players ever and they all have super long Achilles.
When you measure the tendon is it relative? Like if he is a giant a 13in tendon isn't ridiculous. If he is 5 foot and has a 10in tendon that is crazy relative to the size
So in this video we'll explain the purpose and function of the Achilles tendon, and review why Kevin Durant definitely tore his
Maybe he did but the warriors dont wanna tell us anything
@Jonathan Lumbreras He showed all the immediate signs of it.
I think longer tendon has greater potential to generate force but over a longer time. Giannis and other springy athletes have long tendons but they also are more fast twitch dominant and have elite tendon stiffness that allows their tendon or produce force quicker
In the jumping world we reference more of the Hooke's Law equation rather than the elastic potential energy equation from a physics standpoint. Stiffness of the spring and how much you can deform it matters more for overall force production rather than what its starting length is. So for us jumpers we want really stiff and strong tendons, BUT we need to have the muscle strength and stiffness in order to be able to actually stretch it and get that return of energy. Obviously you probably already know that a muscle has to be stiffer than the tendon in order to stretch it and that muscle stiffness is proportional to its activity (force), whereas tendons have a constant stiffness, so that's why doing things like plyos and just max effort approach jumping is phenomenal for developing that muscle "stiffness" and then we do things like strength training to get our tendon stiffer. Idk if that helped you out or not but there you go!
What I don’t get about all this is that jumpers are generally taught to leap with dorsiflexion (toes not pointed out) so the gastrocnemius (calf muscle) isn’t even being used during jumping. So why does it even matter? Instead of looking at the Achilles, wouldn’t the tendons involving the quadriceps or the hamstrings be more important in explosiveness anyway??
You cant jump without using your calfs no matter what method you use
Does this mean that Jokic has a 1 inch achillies? The dude cant jump!
He dont need too jump.
😂😂😂
longer achilles makes you run faster
The problem is if you have shorter tendons you also have a huge calf, and a huge muscle is never explosive. So everything you said just ain’t nothing.
I think longer tendons are also thought to be more efficient because of shorter muscle bellies. My ex phys professor mentioned this has effects like reducing drag.
It is never about the length and strength. It is always about the quality of tightness. It is always about the substances that the tendons have.
OK, does the length of the fulcrum ankle to heel make a difference in jumping force? I have noticed that some people have heels that protrude back much farther from the ankle than others.
I thought there was data showing that the tendon doesnt actually stretch. It just stores energy
Well, time to research *searches how to grow Achilles in 6 weeks*
Giannis Antetokounmpo here I come
Most of the explosive NBA players all have long achilles. MJ, Kobe, AI, Vince Carter, Jason Richardson, Spudd Webb, Nate Robinson, TMac to name a few. All of them have the same long achilles like Giannis, just not as long, but have that short/high calf & all can jump outta the gym.
What about Zion and blake Griffin
The Achilles is attached in series with the muscle. So having a longer more elastic tendon would make it slower to transfer tensile force from the muscle to the tendon.
People with longer Achilles tendons tend to be more springy. I'd argue having a long Achilles tendon is also better for sprinting, not just long-distance running. Nearly all of the world class sprinters have long Achilles tendons. People with shorter achilles tendons are more muscular driven. They're great at shorter sprints (Su Bingtian is a prime example) and are also really good at single-effort jumps. I know a people with a short Achilles tendon that can jump 35 inches, but I'd absolutely dust them in a sprint race. Long achilles tendoned people tend to be better at reactive plyometrics (Multi-effort Hurdle hops, pogos, bounding, etc.)
Do a update on pgs injury plz
I was about ask long question about how to deal with body injuries but realized you would suggest going to physical therapist. All that said thanks for these video Doctor
giannis is easily becoming one of the most entertaining player to watch surely behind ??--
See the thing is that if you train properly and you have a longer tendon you will be an extreme athlete but you have to train fast twitch muscle fibers too
Blake griffin and Zion got short achilles and they both have higher verts
Günther Schwarz that’s genetics at work
@@johnnycardinell8060 I just wanted to point out that higher cut calves don't equal more athletism
For example lebron has bulky low cut calves and hes got one of the highest verts of all time
Günther Schwarz i think its more other way around having longer tendon may prevent him from injuries since it can stand with his weight everytime he moves or jump..
Albert Einstein Lebron doesnt have short and bulky calves lol, his calves arent big and they are higher than average, like most black men, its not that high like giannis but still high.
For an isotropic material your elasticity constant should stay constant regardless if you cut it. You can’t stretch a shorter piece as much as a longer piece for the same constant bc the strain is a ratio of the original dimension (in this example length) and the deformed length. This is an interesting concept to look at for a biomechanical project 👀
I think black people in general have longer Achilles then most other people, I totally could be wrong but they usually have really long lean legs
Dingers & Benders they don’t, and this is coming from a black guy.
correction : I think black people in general have longer Penises then most other people.
You should do a video on athletes genetics bc i saw something about the less fat you have on nerves the more responsive they are and it said the majority of athletes (90%?) had a very small amount
I think you may have it backwards actually. The myelin sheath is mainly lipids and is what allows nervous signals to travel faster. So my guess would be more fat on nerves = better responsiveness. But idk I could be wrong 😅
Thanks for the info. I just had surgery to repair a ruptured left achilles and stumbled across this.
My ex-wife said length matters
Also girth
Dont worry bro, speed matters too
So that's why she's an ex wife.
@@nelson9757 I'm so fast, I've finished before you even got started.
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 I dead
I hope you next discuss about how shooting sleeve works 😁
So this guy was a Engineer and now a Doctor.......cool cool cool cool
Smoothie the money spent on school 🤑
@@Him_Downstairs36 Yeah and College on the USA is hella expensive :/
Him 😂 why’d you think he’s doing this UA-cam thang
Hey Brian
just a thought thou - what stretches more: a muscle or the tendon? I always used to think it's the muscle - even if you flex it, then under pressure (when in process of jumping) it is more stretchable then tendon, therefore when you use the calf muscle to get your lift on the foot, the shorter the muscle is - not only can you flex it quicker (the question of quick and slow muscle fibres is not a concern here, it is what it is, if all of those are shorter then maximum flex should? be quicker), but also the pull is less flexible, therefore giving more power for lift off. What do you think of such theory?
I was an engineer before I was dr 😳😳😳😳😳😳
......umm, for most of us, one of those is a somewhat insurmountable feat.
I was impressed, now I’m just sorta feeling defeated. lol
The only “sport” I have ever been interested in or watched, is mma (perhaps a little boxing and collegiate wrestling here and there). Nevertheless, great content and I love you channel. Thank you for all of the work and effort that goes into it.
95% of Basketball players have long limbs. Kenyan marathon runners also.
NBA team needs to hire you bro!
Don't know about this - every sprinter, long and high jumper, basketball player, NFL receiver has short gastrocs and long achilles tendons🤔 ...
Thumbnail scared me i thought my boi giannis got injured lol
my achilles is long like that only difference is i’m 5’ 8”
I'm sure
Many elite NBA athletes have high calf inserts aka longer Achilles tendon. Ex- Kobe, Mj, LeBron
Edward's Content lol all goats
Yes but that's because they are western african decent who tend to have short calve muscles.
But are they explosive because of the tendon? I don't think so it's mainly about fast twitch muscle fibre percentage.
@@JayzsMr im not saying they are athletic because of that but that is a common trait found in athletes. If you actually check pictures, a lot of NBA players have high calf inserts. Two notable players that have the opposite Blake Griffen and Zion Williamson.
@@MrUnstoppable275 because they are black.
European athletes have longer calve muscles, look at European sprinters or high jumpers
Hey Brian! Can you please do an updated video addressing Michael Porter Jr? He had a spinal/back injury I believe when he was at Missouri. There are reports that he has “drop foot” not 100% sure what that is, just know it’s a nerve issue. Very interesting injury and his future in basketball is in doubt. Thanks again !
Jordan, LBJ and Iverson have long calf tendons and they are athletic
I don't exactly know why but longer tendons freak me out a little bit. I feel like because the muscle belly becomes shortened after a tendon rupture I kinda instinctively associate a longer tendon with a higher risk of rupture
Is there any proven correlation with tendon lenght and likeliness of tendon rupture?
Its all good unless those 13" snap. I imagine recovery would be worse than for average people
I think it would be an easier recovery because there would be less tension in that year area because it would be spread out over the whole tendon
I don’t think tendons stretch enough to the point that it would hamper explosive movement.
I’m also curious how you got into med school as an engineer because it’s such a drastic shift in career paths.
sean reodica you see it a lot here in Los Angeles bro lol
He talked about it in an older video (that actually got recommended to me recently)
He is privileged by having parents with plenty of money that are willing to let him spend a fortune just taking different classes and seeing what he wants to do
At first I thought he got injured when I saw “Achilles” 😬
Always great videos thanks! Brain fuel I feel smarter after watching.
Idk what it is, but a lot of 7'0 players look bulky and slow but Giannis has the frame of and moves like a 6'1 athlete, which is not standard.
The better equation is the mechanical advantage of his ankles which would be efficient at producing explosive forces
I think it has more to do with the total energy absorbed, which for anything elastically deforming is equal to the max deformation deltaL/L times the elastic modulus multiplied by volume, and divided by two, so a longer tendon, is going to be able to absorb more energy elastically, before failing in a tear... could mean better injury prevention
Ever since watching this video I noticed ppl with short Achilles do tend to run slower it all makes sense now
It’s better to have a longer tendon because if you strengthen it and train it the right way while having a long tendon you will have more potential physicaly
Well, he did "tire out" in the final minute of the 4th quarter in game 5, so...
Do you think tendon length is a factor in injury or prevention? As in having a longer tendon potentially disperses stress over a greater area, making injury less common?
Sean Lott I think so.. Come to think of it Giannis moves a lot and yet he is not prone to injury..
Nice, i'm also an engineer studying medicine
That’s why people with kankles are slow and stronger in slow movements
some weight lifters, specially Olympic and powerlifters are able to generate a lot of force through their posterior chain and they look like they have kankles. It's just that their kanckles are all muscle.
Of course people storing a lot of fat in the lower legs are going to be be slower off the ground since fat can't store or generate energy while adding more weight. "fat don't fly"
My thoughts are on the Young modulus which determines how much force is required to deform the tendon. The length changes how much strain the same amount of stress might bring, because a smaller portion of the length has been deformed.
Whoa I thought he had something wrong with his achilles tendon
You should do a video on PRP and how it can help heal tendons, ligaments, etc!!
I don't know about the physic of the thing but many fast animals which can jump high have the same structure,like a deer,lol.
giannis' vert isnt that high compared to some smaller guards. i think people consider him freak athlete due to the fact that he is about as athletic as a 6'5 or 6'6 guard but in the body of a 6'11 man with way oversized limbs
The Achilles of the Greek freak allows him to go take 9 foot long strids and to be at 3 point range and without dribbling take 2 steps and get a dunk just like that
Of course but you can really see mostly his Achilles at work in his chase down blocks when He uses those 9' strides to Chase down the other player
Isnt everything perportional though? Yea Giannis is crazy long tendons, which can exert more energy, but a lot of energy is needed just to move that enormous body.
It's all action/reaction. The tendon only has energy in it because a force was applied. More force required to stretch the tendon potentially, more force released.
Joe Ferrari right and this may not be all the way related because yes his tendon is long but giannis doesn’t have the highest vertical in the league or anything
@@toocold6108 and he never will he's to big.
@@toocold6108 That's true his actual leaping ability is around average in comparison to other NBA players but his freakish length allows him to dunk over anybody and out of strange angles.
Ballislife99 an average player cant jump over tim hardaway jr bro.
UA-cam Recommended algorithm brought me here, do more videos like this. Perhaps more will be shown in recommended(not sure if it works this way tho).
Tore my Achilles about 7 months ago. No surgery but it has reconnected. I can dunk again already which is a good thing. This video is interesting though. 👍🏼
How did it happen and what age are you??
Jeez... Length doesn’t matter, it’s all skills
Well thats what she always says 🤷🏾♂️
What's wrong with this comment section?
When i read the title i was expecting the first comment to be "That's what she said"
You lads are too intelectual for me :))
If he gets an Achilles tear (God Forbid) ...The pain is equally as if you got shot possibly worse
Rupture or tear?
Both mj and lebron and Kobe are in the top 5-10 for tendon length. In the nba. Both lebron and mj have over an 11 inch Achilles Kobe has nearly a 12 inch Achilles. I think the best bro is wrong cause I have never seen someone with a 7 inches jump has high as those guys. Most high jumpers have long Achilles. Giannis himself has 40 inch vert at 6’11. Being the tall and jumping that high is insane. Not many at that height can do that. Having a shorter Achilles will not give an advantage in jumping maybe in jumping quicker but that don’t mean higher as the energy transfer is not efficient. So you get off the ground fast but go now where fast
Before I watch the video im gonna say yes
Guess i was wrong 😂
I love these freaking videos
Could a long achilles tendon be a reason why KD's injury was initially diagnosed as a calf strain? Could it have been misdiagnosed?
It was a calf strain that eventually weakened led to the Achilles tear. Mine did the exact same thing.
I'm 5'9 right now with a 12 in Achilles tendon at 15... I used to run and jump everyday very fast however I dont run as much as I used to. I remember getting a 126 on the pacer test. How do I revive my speed again?
Do the thing’s you used to do...
126 on the BEEP test IS WILD
So you are 5'9 and have an achilles tendon length one inch away from Giannis, who is 6'11??
@@hogedoge69 😱😱😱😱
@@hogedoge69 he is fake he would only have about 5 or 6 inch achilles tendon..
I'm 6'4 and have only about 9 inch..
No way 5'9 guy has 12inch..
in a league of freaks- giannis is the freakiest of them all. i never thought i d see someone with more physical gifts than lebron- but here he is. he s what i would have made on nba 2k in the past- but they wouldnt allocate enough points to make him. imagine - a 7 footer with the movement of a guard- strenght of a centre- and athletciism of a 3. i remember when jonathan bendercame out they said- he has hte most phsyical gifts of any player- but he played like a 7 footer- awkward and gangly- this guy is unreal.
the big question is - if the nba is the most evolving of all sports- it shows us what is capable athletically more than any other sport- with each generation improving on the last.... ( for example tennis or golf or footbal do not make such huge or even visible leaps) ..
then the most exciting question- biggest question is...
what is coming next...
See though.....its not thw fact that Giannis has Achilles length its his overall both length and as you said long distance running that allows him to stay in better shape during the course of the game. He is naturally longer and taller than most.....if Giannis was the average length of someone his size i would assume he wouldnt beas dominate.
Did you ever do a video on a infected hole that was replaced with a stomach muscle and skin graft on the outer right lower leg by the ankle and what to look for in the healing process?
It's less about tendon length and more about tendon stiffness.