Jumping Cristiano Ronaldo has become his calling card. He often scores with his head, and Sampdoria’s goal in 2019 from a height of 256 centimeters gave rise to a worldwide challenge — people hung the ball up and tried to jump to it. What is Ronaldo’s secret?
Ronaldo jumps higher than NBA players
In 2011, Cristiano starred in the documentary Ronaldo: Tested to the Limit, in which experts tested his physical capabilities.
It turned out that Ronaldo is the perfect athlete: he has 3% less fat than a supermodel, and he ran 25 meters in 3.61 seconds — 0.3 seconds slower than a professional sprinter.
Another feature of Ronaldo that amazed researchers was his ability to jump 2.5 meters. It turned out that the Portuguese is able to lift off the ground 78 centimeters, higher than the average NBA player (71 cm). When Ronaldo scored against Sampdoria, he compared himself to Michael Jordan on social media.
Why does Ronaldo tuck his knees while jumping?
If you watch Ronaldo’s headers, you can see how he tucks his knees in as he jumps. This allows you to achieve the effect of “hovering” in the air, which gives you a split second to move your body back and hit hard. NBA basketball players use the same jumping technique when making slam dunks.
When Ronaldo takes off, he not only bends his knees, but also tucks his legs under his buttocks. “This temporarily raises the center of gravity, and also allows it to appear as if it is hovering in the air,” the scientists say.