The Vertical Edge: Does Height Actually Matter in Sports?
Let’s face it: when you’re staring eye-to-chest at your opponent, it feels like the game is already stacked against you. With every rebound they snatch and every shot they swat away, it’s easy to think, “Well, being tall obviously wins.” But, at the end of the day, does height actually matter?
The short (and tall) answer: yes, but not in the way you are probably thinking.
When people talk about height in sports, they often frame it as a filter for where you belong. If you’re tall, you’re expected to pursue sports like basketball or volleyball, as if not doing so would be a “waste” of your height. Contrarily, if you’re short, you’re boxed into sports like gymnastics and weightlifting, where being small is seen as your one and only advantage. But, in reality, height shouldn’t determine what sport you can play and whether or not you can succeed. Instead, it should shape how you train and approach the game.
One sport where small stature is often seen as an edge is gymnastics. Shorter athletes are generally preferred for their lower center of gravity and compact frame, which improves balance, allows for faster rotations, and gives better control during flips and twists. This is why shorter gymnasts like Simone Biles (4’8”), the most decorated gymnast in history with 30 World Championship medals, as well as our very own Carlos Yulo (4’11”), the first-ever Filipino two-time Olympic gold medalist, dominate the sport. Even so, taller gymnasts like Alexander Shatilov (6’0”) have found success by focusing on events like the floor exercise, where their longer limbs and extended lines allow for bigger, more visually striking tumbling passes.
On the other end of the spectrum is basketball, where height is almost always considered a major advantage. That’s why legends like Shaquille O’Neal (7’1”) and Yao Ming (7’6”) dominated the paint. However, if height were all that mattered, someone like Tyrone “Muggsy” Bogues (5’3”), the shortest NBA player in history, would never have lasted a single season. By thrashing taller opponents with his exceptional speed, superb court vision, and high basketball IQ, Bogues became the Charlotte Hornets’ all-time leader in steals, racking up 1,067 steals.
Boxing, too, tends to glorify height, rewarding taller fighters with longer reach to land punches while keeping their opponents at bay. Giants like Nikolai Valuev (7’0”), Tyson Fury (6’9”), and Lennox Lewis (6’5”) built their legacies with that advantage. Nevertheless, Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquiao (5’6”) proves that height isn’t everything. With his lightning-fast footwork, relentless stamina, and explosive punching power, Pacquiao defeated countless fighters who had every physical advantage over him. Today, Pacquiao holds an unmatched record as the only octuple (eight-division) world champion in boxing history.
In soccer, taller players like Cristiano Ronaldo (6’2”) excel at winning headers, using their physicality, and covering ground with long strides. Meanwhile, shorter players like Lionel Messi (5’7”) dominate thanks to their lower center of gravity, exceptional agility, and tip-top ball control, which allows them to navigate through defenses with ease. Ronaldo and Messi sit on opposite ends of the height spectrum, yet both are considered among the greatest soccer players of all time.
In the end, height is just one part of the athletic equation. Indeed, it matters to a certain extent, but only in the sense that it helps you understand how to play and train for your sport. Similar to hand size in guitar or vocal range in singing, height may influence your style of play, but it doesn’t define your limits. What matters more is how you use what you have, how hard you work, and how well you understand your own body. After all, sports are not one-size-fits-all. Each sport demands a unique mix of strength, speed, skill, and smarts, and height doesn’t automatically cover all of those aspects.
So the next time someone tells you that you’re too short, too tall, or simply not the right build for a certain sport, just tell them this: the scoreboard measures results, not inches. Whether you’re towering or tiny, as long as you love the sport and know how to play to your strengths, you’ll prove that your potential goes beyond your height.
