Is There a Bias in the Open against Tall Athletes?

[dawn16]

@novihartanti You don't need hip or leg explosions for a 20 lbs wall ball. Depending on the number of reps, it's like shooting a heavy basket ball.

 

[novihartanti]

@dawn16 My gym is mostly Filipino. You underestimate the size of my Bros.

 

[kitcar]

@novihartanti You can do a small dip but no squat. We don't get to do them too often

 

[newbeginnings331]

@picnic_00 Shorter athletes do not appear to have the advantage. Athletes of average height do. But from your perspective (and mine at 6'4") everyone is a shorter athlete.

 

[1corithians13]

@newbeginnings331 Here we go again.

Yes, shorter people have an advantage in CF.

So what?

 

[thelordbeexalted91]

@1corithians13 This.

You cannot (easily) change your height.
Just deal with it...

 

[newbeginnings331]

@1corithians13 Naw, that isn't what the data says. It says the Open workouts favor those of average height. So, no, shorter people don't necessarily have an advantage.

 

[katstamper]

@newbeginnings331 You will also find a bias toward tall people in basketball. Shocking.

Considering CF targets not being weak in any area, it kinda works out nice that the ideal body height is average-ish.

 

[dawn16]

@newbeginnings331 It's about time us average heighter's have a fighting chance!

 

[dawn16]

@newbeginnings331

Conclusions:
Burpees favor the short. Any workout with burpees tend to be better for them, unless there is heavy weight or an exercise that favors the tall to balance it, i.e. rowing or deadlifts. Heavy weight favors the tall, such as 12.2 which was 30 snatches at 75#, 135#, 165#, and 210#. Or 15.1a, which was max clean and jerk.
Pull-ups favor the short, as well. We saw that in the self-reported metrics. Tall people have heavier bodies and lower strength to mass. Pull-ups are harder for them.
Deadlifts and heavier lifts favor the tall. e.g. 14.3 & 13.1.
Those of average height are never too far away from the optimum height, for instance 14.1, 10 min AMRAP of 30 Double Unders and 15 Power Snatch (75#).

You can't accurately draw these conclusions by splitting into 2 groups. You need to generate a short group to do so, that's the group that would "prove" the bias you're testing for, the test group is simply too close to the average. Partly due to size, no doubt.

Average height is 5'10" (slightly less, but round up etc etc). The standard deviation is about 3".

That would peg your "average" range at 5'7" - 6'1", that's about 68% of males.

 

[newbeginnings331]

@dawn16 I based it on this graph, not on the comparison chart.

(12.1)[

https://imgur.com/wID5igf

]

This graph shows Open Workout 12.1 (7 mins of Burpees), height as the X-axis, score as the Y-axis. The graph is a box chart at each height. As can be seen, median slopes upward continuously toward the short. Because this Open workout is a single exercise, the bias is very clear.

 

[brainofjt]

@newbeginnings331 If you group them by year, scores seem to be pretty even in 12 and 13. However, you can see there is a pretty big variance in 14 and 15.

12	688.9	698.4	697.3	-9.5
13	675.9	684.9	676	-9
14	1797.4	1729.9	1739.2	67.5
15	1462.7	1515.4	1508.8	-52.7

Event
>= 6'2"
< 6'2"
All
Variance

So things looked pretty even the first two years, but you can see in 14 it paid to be taller or a detriment in 15. Granted this is all just a summary, but a 50+ point swing is a big difference in the open.

 

[jhm59]

@newbeginnings331 Many of those heights, if from the CF website, are self reported. Men are notorious for over stating their height.

 

[dawn16]

@newbeginnings331 Fortunately yes. You get advantages every other place in modern society.

 

[dawn16]

@newbeginnings331 Uhm. You listed data that does in fact reveal a bias against tall guys. The fact that they have lower scores on this particular WO/exercise or that, as compared to another class, establishes that there is a bias. That's just what a bias is.

Whether the bias is "unfair" or a problem otherwise, is a completely different issue.

There SHOULD be a bias against tall guys in any comprehensive test of fitness. They should not be getting equal scores. This is because, generally, tall guys suck athletically. They always have. Generally, they're slow and uncoordinated, and they lack the thicker muscle that drives the speed and power that less tall guys have always had over them.

The NBA and NFL have completely warped our perceptions here, in just the last generation really, by showcasing 6'8'' monsters with top shelf speed and power. But they are the products of a selection process that dangles massive fame and wealth in front of the very rare people who are very tall and very athletic at the same time. Then it goes even further by doping them up in accordance with the best scientific knowledge available, making them even more freakish than they already are.

(Even so, the best NFL receiver right now is 5'11'' and 180 lbs, in an era that has been trying to favor really tall receivers.)

What would be unfair is if HQ started listening to tall guys whining about how the events of the Open, or Regionals, or the Games, are "unfair" because less tall guys do better than they do. That's always been the case for a wide range of physical activities/tests. They shouldn't be doing as well.

Hey, tall guys. Nature and luck bestowed upon you a stature that seems to unconsciously draw respect from people and lure hot chicks like a magnet. I don't have this. So, when you complain about the fact that CF is biased against tall guys, it makes me want to rip you to shreds with my far greater speed and power, as I've been doing for some time.

Talk about "privilege". I'm a tall white guy, therefore I should be winning everything. Fuck off, stick man. You've always sucked athletically.

 

[dawn16]

@newbeginnings331 I'm 6'1 and 3/4 where do i exactly stand? I mean on a tall day I'm 6'3, when I'm feeling modest I'm 6'1.

 

[desiringgod7]

@newbeginnings331 I can't say how often you hear people watching the games and pointing out its just a bunch of midgets running around--it does all of CF a disservice.