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Football Player’s Vertical Leap Technique Makes Him Look Like He’s Floating

by Michael Walsh
Nov 27 2017 • 6:00 AM

It can sometimes feel like athletesOpens in a new tab are super human — they’re bigger, stronger, and faster than most of us, and they don’t even have actual super powers. Although, it’s hard to say the reason this footballOpens in a new tab player looks like he can levitate has everything to do with his technique, and not because he’s secretly a member of the X-MenOpens in a new tab.This mesmerizing video is of current USC Trojan wide receiver Josh Imatorbhebhe’s astounding vertical leap from two year’s ago at Nike’s The Opening in Oregon, which popped up this week on RedditOpens in a new tab. When he gets to the apex of his jump, rather than immediately starting to fall, it looks like he hovers in the air like he’s Trinity in The MatrixOpens in a new tab. You’re going to watch this a thousand times, so make sure you focus on his feet for some of them. This isn’t an optical illusion, they stay at the exact same spot while he is “levitating,” meaning he really is “defying” gravity for far longer than we’d expect.

https://twitter.com/Hudl/status/618867038430195712Carzy, right? So is this some phony editing or a quirk created by seeing it in slow-motion? Nope.In this other video you can watch him jump in real-time, and he definitely “floats” long enough to see it.

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Since we’re doubtful he was dipped into a vat of toxic waste or is really Doctor StrangeOpens in a new tab, how is this possible? It likely has to do with the way he swings his very long arms. He rotates them completely when he hits the top of his jump, which creates an upward movement in his torso — the conservation of momentum — at the same moment he starts to descend according to gravity.But in case you didn’t think this was impressive enough, not only does his technique create an amazing visual, the height he reaches is incredible itself. Every year the NFL holds a combine for incoming players before the league’s draft, where they measure a number of physical traits like speed, quickness, and strength. The highest vertical leap at this year’s was Oakland Raiders’ safety Obi Melifonwu’s 44 inch jumpOpens in a new tab. The all-time record belongs to former Jacksonville Jaguars and Dallas Cowboys safety Gerald Sensabaugh, who hit a whopping 46 inches.Imatorbhebhe’s floating vertical leap is listed 47.1 inches.Uh, maybe we’re not that confident about him not being an actual superhero.What do you make of this video? How is it possible for him to “float?” Jump into our comments below with your best theories.

Featured Image: The OregonianOpens in a new tab

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