I thought of this when I saw that 5’9″ Nate Robinson won the NBA dunk contest again this year.
I watched him in high school. He broke our state record in the 110H (even though he wasn’t state champ that year!) but the more interesting thing was that I watched him long jump only 22’2″ at state in good conditions. That’s a nice jump, but it was obvious to me that no one was working with him on how to long jump, because with the kind of speed and explosion he exhibited then as now, you’d think that at least 24 feet would be a piece of cake. I’ve worked with 22’2 guys before, and those guys were not in his class, athletically. Heck, they weren’t even two classes below him!
Genetic talent is what it takes, but technique will ALWAYS matter!