Michael Jackson is an inexhaustible source of topics on which we can talk, his unquestionable talent and charisma in addition to his controversial private life, but today I will touch a point that has always been interesting because of the difficult and complicated to make the step of " Smooth Criminal "with which defies gravity.
For a long time I thought it was an editing trick or a special effect, obviously neither my friends nor I could even dream of doing it at least with the moon walk we could perform a more or less decent imitation, but those 45 degrees were an impossible mission , some time ago I read about special shoes that stuck to the floor even though it did not convince me at all but it made sense, in these days I found a story about a group of scientists admirers of the "King of Pop", who elaborated a scientific explanation of how the singer was able to perform one of his most famous steps, that of leaning forward with the straight trunk, according to a study published today in the Journal of Neurosurgery.
Three neurosurgeons from the Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh (India) set out to examine from the scientific point of view the antigravity inclination introduced by the artist in the music video "Smooth Criminal".
Most dancers with a "very strong" trunk get a tilt of a maximum of 30 degrees when performing the famous Jackson acrobatics, while the icon managed to easily tilt 45 degrees, the authors noted, the muscular strength of the artist made it possible that will interpret that amazing dance pass, that millions of people have tried to emulate and have been injured in their attempts.
Nishant Yagnick and his colleagues determined that Jackson's milestone was due to several factors, including his talent, muscular strength, and a great idea tuvo he had when creating special shoes that the artist himself patented.
In terms of biomechanics, the step that made Jackson famous was "impossible," according to the authors.
However, the special shoes he wore allowed him to manipulate his bodily movements, thanks to the fact that the heel had a "v" shaped hole that was hooked to fixed screws on the surface of the stage.
In this way, Jackson and his dancers could almost recline in the air at an impossible angle.
"That was a very ingenious idea. However, even with those shoes people are not able to lean 45 degrees. It takes a good core of strength, which Michael Jackson treasured in his achilles tendon and in the muscles of the spine, "Manjul Tripathi, another of the authors, said in his study.
Thus, they determined that the physical condition of Jackson, mainly in the trunk, muscles of the spine, Achilles tendon and the back of each leg, made it possible for the singer to withstand such pressure without hurting himself in the attempt.
Particularly I think that even when they say it did not have consequences, I think that so much effort and complicated steps finally triggered an arthritis in the lower back as well as in the fingers that was discovered when he died in June 2009.
I leave the video.
