20.500.12556/RUP-22684 Comparison of vertical jump performance between the Maasai, track and field athletes, and non-athletes a cross-sectional study The Maasai are known for their unique customs, including dancing, singing, and jumping. The tribe’s traditional jumping rituals, performed by young warriors called ‘Morani,’ demonstrate their strength and skill through repetitive hops, often lasting several hours. These jumps are comparable to the countermovement jumps (CMJ) of elite Western athletes. This study compared different types of jumps (CMJ), squat jump (SJ) and repetitive hops) among three groups: (a) Maasai (n = 30), (b) Slovenian high-jump athletes and sprinters (n = 20), and (c) non-athletes in Slovenia (n = 20). Participants were male, aged 16–35. The My Jump 2 app was used to measure jump height. Results showed that during CMJ, the Maasai averaged 38.1 cm ± 7.3 cm; athletes 52.46 cm ± 9.07 cm; non-athletes 33.72 cm ± 7.22 cm. In the SJ, the Maasai averaged 35.87 cm ± 6.59 cm; athletes 49.74 cm ± 7.3 cm; non-athletes 32.57 cm ± 6.21 cm. For repetitive hops, the Maasai averaged 36.2 cm ± 7.75 cm; athletes 35.93 cm ± 5.98 cm; non-athletes 20.98 cm ± 7.07 cm. Athletes showed higher jump heights in CMJ and SJ compared to the Maasai (p < 0.001, d = 1.28; p < 0.001, d = 2.00) and non-athletes (p < 0.001, d = 2.29; p < 0.001, d = 2.53). However, in repetitive hops, the Maasai performed similarly to athletes (p = 0.991, d = 0.04), while non-athletes had significantly lower results (p < 0.001, d = 2.05). These findings suggest that the Maasai’s cultural practices enhance musculoskeletal adaptation from an early age, emphasizing that proficiency is greatest in regularly practiced tasks, such as repetitive jumps and hops. Maasai athletes jumps Masaji športniki skok true false true Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik Članek v reviji 2026-03-01 17:51:46 2026-03-01 17:51:50 2026-03-02 03:05:29 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2026 0 0 str. 1-10 [article no.] 7670 Vol. 16 2026 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 2026-02-07 2026-02-26 796.42:572 2045-2322 10.1038/s41598-026-39223-x 270008323 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-39223-x 1 f1cfac46-158e-11f1-b092-005056ac49c0 https://repozitorij.upr.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=33030 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-39223-x 1 f31d9982-158e-11f1-b092-005056ac49c0 https://repozitorij.upr.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=33031 RAZ_Robnik_Petra_2026.pdf RAZ_Robnik_Petra_2026.pdf 1 C30052A25D6A10B6D6BBC1EA98C5E34F 39078304274a46ad1852f7e51f6bb0d83a5c577f6503f478dcfe3c1f5334290f 50c19c1f-158f-11f1-b092-005056ac49c0 https://repozitorij.upr.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=33032 Fakulteta za vede o zdravju 0 0 0