Posted by Brian Frederiksen on June 02, 2001 at 19:57:55:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: breathing posted by fred young on June 02, 2001 at 15:44:31:
Determining vital capacity is critical working with shallow breathers. Mr Jacobs pretty much knew what capacity to expect from a player - then there are the rest of us. While researching Arnold Jacobs: Song & Wind, I researched formulas for vital capacity. The one I used came from the American Thorasic Society. Here it is (height2 is height(in inches) squared, age2 is age (in years) squared):
Male: Height2 X (((1.541 - (4.06 X Age) / 1000)) - ((6.14 X Age2 )/100000))
Female: Height2 X (((1.332 - (4.06 X Age) / 1000)) - ((6.14 X Age2 )/100000))
Using this, a 7 foot male, age 20 would have a capacity of 6.5 liters but this is for an average humanoid, not a healthy properly-trained wind player. You can add 10-20% more! That could get him in the 8 liter range. The highest capacity Mr Jacobs ever saw was Michael Johnson (who pops up on this list from time to time). While not seven feet tall, his capacity was 7.94 liters when they tested him in a medical lab.
As with most things, there are exceptions. Will Scarlett came to Jacobs and during the test, he blew the top off the spirometer spilling water all over the floor. Will was 5' 10" and had a capacity well over the six liter capacity of the spirometer - he had short legs and a long torso. Will now teaches in the Jacobs studio and dispays that spirometer in the studio as a reminder.