I recently returned...

from a two week humanitarian mission to Kenya. Our group of fifteen were doing construction work on several orphanages located in Nairobi. Our last two days were spent delivering basic food supplies and bedding to the Maasai tribe out in the African bush.

This would be the highlight of our experience. I was particularly excited about visiting the Maasai, knowing that their warriors were famous for their ritual jumping.

Apparently, this jumping dance is part of a "coming of age" ceremony for Maasai warriors. It's basically a competition to see who can jump the highest. (It's also something that impresses the Maasai ladies.) The warriors gather in a half circle and chant/sing while two warriors go to the middle and jump. As you can tell by the video, these warriors assume a natural posture and jump, never letting their heels touch the ground. All the power comes from their legs.

Upon further inquiry, I found out that the warriors practice their jumping while away from their village tending their herds of cattle. I also learned that because of the great energy demands placed on the body to practice jumping, the warriors are only able to sustain practicing in short bursts.

I was also told that the warriors were able to extend their practice capacity when they chewed on or drank the juices from something called Olamuriaki - sort of a performance-enhancing plant, if you will. This allowed the warriors to extend their practice jumping to a full five minutes as well as consume greater amounts of food to improve their strength.

Seemed like a lot of time and hassle to me when they could just as easily swing by Larry Kaplan’s Varsity Fitness in Philadelphia and jump on the Shuttle MVP. Larry will guarantee a 3-6 inch increase in vertical jump (and have them dunking if they so desire) in just ten sessions - or their money back!

Apparently, there is no Maasai word for "dunk" and they made some excuse about not being able to get away anytime soon.

Well, at least I thought it was a good idea....