How does hanging time compare from someone that simply jumps up to that of someone that runs and jumps up with the same vertical component take off?

Answer 1

I've never been too sure what this so-called "hang time" means. Is it meant to imply

that one person is somehow able to stay elevated in mid-air longer than someone else,

because of some muscular maneuver or other ?

Don't you believe it. Except for the tiny difference in air resistance experienced by

a skinny person compared to a fat person in the space of a 10-foot drop, any two

people who have the same vertical speed when they're at the same height always

experience the same vertical acceleration and hit the ground at the same time.

That's regardless of anything they did before the moment when they had the same

vertical speed at the same height, and regardless of anything they can do with their

muscles on the way down.

Answer 2

When someone runs and jumps, their initial horizontal momentum will contribute to the initial vertical velocity, resulting in a longer hang time compared to someone who simply jumps. This is because the horizontal component of the velocity converts to vertical velocity when the person jumps, giving them more time in the air before gravity pulls them back down.