Does Basketball Make You Taller? Factors That Help in GROWTH

Does playing basketball make you taller?

We see these tall men playing basketball on the TV and tournaments in the NBA and wonder what a stunning height they have! Is it just us or do you envy that as well?

But the real question that doesn’t stop wondering in our minds is; does basketball make you taller? Well, the truth is that there is no correct answer to this question. However, we didn’t want to disappoint you with our answer so we did some research and dug a lot more and found out what the scientists have to say to this.

They said that there is a bit of evidence that basketball could actually affect your height. They also mentioned that this effect cannot be seen in just a few days of playing the sport, but it can only be seen with constant playing and putting a lot of hours and efforts into it.

They also mentioned a few reasons regarding their claims. One of them states that when you jump while playing the sport, you elongate your body and this causes extra blood flow to your growth plates.

This results in promoting height. But till what extent are the claims true? Read further to know the answer to the question that the basketball players are tired of hearing; does basketball make you taller?

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MYTH OR REALITY (SCIENTIFIC FACTS): Does Basketball Make You Taller?

Here are a few facts that we believe may help you get a clear answer to your question.

• HGH

Human Growth Hormones, as the name clearly says these play a crucial role while he/she starts playing basketball at a young age. These hormones come from the pituitary gland and help promote growth. But this phenomenon is biological. And a push in HGH increases height. There is no clue how basketball helps in pushing the HGH?

• JUMPING

One of the main reasons people think basketball increases your height is jumping. When the body jumps for a layup or a rebound the body stretches and that increases the oxygen level in your body and when the body lands on the surface it gets into its normal shape and body moves faster all over the body which helps in promoting growth plates.

And an increase in blood flow sometimes pushes growth hormones towards growth plates.

• RUNNING

While everybody thinks to pass, dribbling and defending is the only key to win the game they usually forget that running is the most important key and all of the 3 features cannot be accomplished without running. Running from one side of the court to another side is a lot of exercises that help increasing blood flow.

And running has proven out to show release in HGH. Running could help in increasing the height of the child from a young age.

• DRIBBLING AND SHOOTING

Doing this has proven to stretch our arms and spine. Especially while shooting you stretch your body to the fullest which stretches your arm and spine as well which helps in an increase in height.

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FACTORS THAT HELP IN GROWTH:

While the above matter was just the prediction and the myths that people think in their daily life that helps in increasing your height.

Below are the actual reasons that help a person to grow.

• EATING THE RIGHT FOOD

Eating junk food, non-nutritional things are one of those things that do not help in promoting the growth of the child. Eating proper nutritional food and eating vegetables, fruits, and any other natural food helps in promoting growth to an extent. While the rest depends on the release of HGH.

• GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP

Another important factor that is responsible for promoting growth is the person getting enough sleep or not? People doing high-intensity workout during the day requires at least 7-8 hours of sleep at night. But the thing that people usually do not know is that getting proper sleep helps in releasing HGH promoting growth in kids and teenagers.

So, people should make sure that not only after a high-intensity workout during the day but they should hit the bed at the right time.

• HIGH-INTENSITY TRAINING

As talked about earlier doing high-intensity training helps in releasing HGH as well as also helps in building muscles and that does not mean doing intensive weight lifting and nothing else it also includes sprinting with help to increase blood flow which helps in building growth plates. Sprinting also ensures that the body does not gain weight in the form of fat.

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AT WHAT AGE DO WE STOP GROWING?

The answer to this question has been given scientifically and most of the time the answer/prediction is right. The age at which boys stop gaining height is different than that of the girls. Girls usually reach their maximum height at a young age.

While the case is different for boys. Girls usually grow at a quick pace throughout their childhood. By the time they reach their puberty age, it starts increasing again and the difference is quite noticeable. They reach their maximum height at the age of 14-15 years.

Boys usually go through physical change mostly at the age of 10-16. While it shows that they grow maximum at the age of 12-15. And it shows that boys reach their maximum height after almost 2 years after girls. Boys grow to their maximum height by 16.

By the time boys reach 16 their height usually stops increasing but their muscles tend to grow more and more. Genes play the role over here. Genes of a person decide the maximum height up to which a person may grow. Many factors can affect growth and ultimately height. These usually include environmental factors as well as nutrition and physical activity levels. [1]

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FAQ’s: Does Basketball Make You Tall?

What causes growth delays?

Several reasons are responsible for growth delays. Some of them are:

1. Growth Hormones.
2. Medical conditions.
3. insulin level.

Can stretching make you taller?

Stretching helps you improve your body posture and helps you to stand straight which makes you look taller. Stretching won’t make us taller but in the future, if you are regular in this you will look a little taller than before.

Why do some people still believe that playing basketball makes you grow taller?

Even though basketball involves a lot of jumping and running which helps secretion of our growth hormones, a small increase in HGH. But this does not help you in increasing your height.

But there is an argument that jumping during basketball increases blood flow in parts like legs and spine which makes our muscle tissue growth and helps in the growth of our bones and bone density.

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FINAL VERDICT:

There are a gazillion questions on the internet that haven’t yet been answered, but we tried our best to answer your question; does basketball make you taller? It is quite difficult to answer it in a yes or a no because there isn’t a perfect answer to this question.

Just know that 80 per cent of your height is determined by your genes, and the rest by your food habits and the nutrition that you get. Height is a factor that is in nobody’s control. There is a basketball player who is 7’7” tall and one who is only 5’3”. If you are a true fan of the sport, you know whom we are talking about!

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