I have a weird theory about sports that I’ve never heard anyone talk about.
My theory is that, by and large, having a proportionally small skull creates an athletic advantage.
Phelps is a good example.
Because of his bizarre proportions, he was suspected of having Marfan syndrome, which causes elongated limbs, and a smaller, elongated head (Phelps doesn’t actually have the condition).
But to my point: your head is dead weight when it comes to athletics. This is especially true in land sports.
Think about it.
Gravity is the enemy.
All of your body has to support your head, and if you have a long neck and a larger head—it’s even more demanding on your balance and energy (think of a circus performer balancing a plate on a long pole). The higher up your body the weight distribution, the more it raises your center of gravity, placing more demand on your balance, and slowing your ability to accelerate and decelerate quickly.
Obviously, having a small head doesn’t automatically mean someone is athletic. It’s just one factor among many. But my suspicion is that it helps the overall equation.
If you look out into the animal kingdom, many of the fastest, most agile creatures don’t invest a lot of mass in a proportionally large skull:
This completes my weird theory.