From children hopping, skipping, and leaping while playing to professional basketball players soaring through the air to score, jumping is something most people do at some point in their lives. You might jump up to get something just out of your reach or to make a big splash in the pool.

While your jumping ability is something that you can improve over time, how high or far you can propel yourself is, to some extent, influenced by your genetics. Taking an AncestryDNA^® + Traits test can help shed light on how much of your physical ability to jump high is likely to be related to the connection between genetics and jumping.

Do Some People Naturally Jump Further or Higher?

People who inherited genes and specific DNA markers related to jumping might naturally be able to jump higher or further. But jumping ability involves more than genetics. Jumping, a form of plyometrics, is a complex process to help get your body off the ground. While fast-twitch muscle fibres must exert explosive power that's strong enough to propel your body through the air, other biomechanical and physiological factors also play a role. For example, strength, energy levels, body weight, and exerted force can influence the physics behind a jump.

Jumps are mainly vertical or horizontal, with variations based on:

• Different starting positions, i.e., static or running
• Whether one or both feet are used
• The incorporation (or not) of arm-swing movement
• If the legs are in a squat stance or if the jump uses countermovement—a downward movement followed by an upward one

Many different athletic activities count jumping as a crucial ability. Sports such as football, basketball, and volleyball demand a certain degree of jumping. But off the playing field, you might jump during exercise or hop over a puddle to avoid getting your shoes wet.

Genetics and Vertical Jumping

Your ability to leap into the air comes from a complex blend of environmental and genetic influences on jumping. In terms of genetics, Ancestry scientists have identified 557 DNA markers that influence jumping ability. These include those that influence how your muscles work and whether your body is naturally suited more for tasks associated with jumping motions. The ACTN3 gene, for example, impacts fast-twitch muscles. People with this gene tend to produce proteins that assist in high-intensity activities, like sprinting and jumping.

The AncestryDNA team found the 557 DNA markers by comparing the DNA of over 151,000 people who answered the question, "How would you rate your ability to jump high?" Those responses, in combination with the identified DNA markers, were then used to calculate a polygenic risk score—a tool to predict your jumping ability based on your genetics.

Importantly, Ancestry scientists found that the differences in peoples' DNA could only explain a small amount of the variation in their jumping ability—less than 9%. Which means peoples' practice and conditioning influence their jumping ability much more than their genetics.

Environmental Influences on Vertical and Horizontal Jumping

One of the most influential factors affecting vertical jumping—outside of genetics—is training. A Chinese study reviewing how high-intensity interval training and traditional resistance training impacted explosive force in athletics revealed that strength training can improve power output. When muscles can release more energy—power output—then they can produce more force—a factor that impacts jumping ability.

Mental aspects come into play here as well. Your ability to perform athletically in any context—including jumping ability—is often influenced by personality and even the amount of support you get while practising. A study of badminton players in Indonesia revealed that world-class athletes display several predictable personality traits, including:

• Being achievement-orientated
• Willingness to put in hard work
• Persistence
• Commitment
• Autonomy
• Self-control
• Intelligence

While no single personality trait directly impacts your body's jumping ability, all of these can influence how diligently you might train.

Interesting Facts About Jumping Ability

The highest vertical jump with a running start ever recorded was performed by athlete Darius Clark out of Salt Lake City, Utah, in June 2022. While at basketball camp, he managed to leap 1.27 meters (4.17 feet) into the air. Considering that the average vertical jump height for men hovers around 0.45 meters (1.48 feet), this is a significant feat, nearly tripling what the average man can do.

Current record holders for the Olympic Games include Charles Austin (USA) in the men's high jump event, who accomplished 2.39 meters (7.84 feet) at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. The women's high jump record holder, Yelena Slesarenko (Russia) achieved 2.06 meters (6.75 feet) at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

In the Olympics' long jump event, Bob Beamon (USA) managed to leap 8.90 meters (29.19 feet) to claim the gold at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, while Jackie Joyner-Kersee, in the women's long jump event, soared 7.40 meters (24.27 feet) at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Whether you're a highly trained elite athlete or you play pickup basketball at the weekend, you might be curious to discover how your ability to jump vertically is connected to your genetics. An AncestryDNA^® + Traits test can tell you that and more about a whole range of fitness traits. If you've already taken an AncestryDNA^® test and haven't purchased traits, you can now review your traits with an Ancestry^® membership.

 

References

Berberet, Drake. "Countermovement Jump or Squat Jump?" Hawkin Dynamics. March 19, 2019. https://www.hawkindynamics.com/blog/countermovement-jump-or-squat-jump.

Chang, Yu-Hua, Yi-Chen Chou, et al. "The Effects of High-Intensity Power Training versus Traditional Resistance Training on Exercise Performance." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. July 31, 2022. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19159400.

"Highest vertical leap (running start)." Guinness World Records. Accessed April 4, 2024. https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/95867-highest-vertical-leap-running-start.

Karatrantou, Konstantina, Vassilis Gerodimos, et al. Can sport-specific training affect vertical jumping ability during puberty? Biology of Sport. May 30, 2019. doi:10.5114/biolsport.2019.85455.

Maksum, Ali, and Nanik Indahwati. "Personality traits, environment, and career stages of top athletes: An evidence from outstanding badminton players of Indonesia." Heliyon. February 16, 2023. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e13779.

Moran, Jason. "Horizontal and vertical jumping: How, when and why to use one instead of the other?" Sportsmith. Accessed April 4, 2024. https://www.sportsmith.co/articles/horizontal-and-vertical-jumping/.

Nag, Utathya. Olympic records in jump events – Of Beamonesque leaps and defying gravity. International Olympic Committee. August 22, 2021. https://olympics.com/en/news/olympic-records-jump-high-long-triple-pole-vault.

Psycharakis, Stelios G. "Dynamics of Vertical Jumps." Quintic Consultancy Ltd. Accessed April 4, 2024. https://www.quinticsports.com/vertical_jumps/.

Ruffieux, Jan, Michael Wälchli, et al. "Countermovement Jump Training Is More Effective Than Drop Jump Training in Enhancing Jump Height in Non-professional Female Volleyball Players." Frontiers in Physiology. March 16, 2020. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2020.00231.

Sayer, Amber. "What's A Good Vertical Jump? Average Vertical Jump By Age + Sex." Marathon Handbook. February 28, 2024. https://marathonhandbook.com/average-vertical-jump/.

Solan, Matthew. "Plyometrics: Three explosive exercises even beginners can try." Harvard Health Publishing. August 2, 2023. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/plyometrics-three-explosive-exercises-even-beginners-can-try-202308022960.