# Origin of the hero three point landing **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 27, 2010, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-the-hero-three-point-landing/541006 "2010-05-27T23:05:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2010, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-the-hero-three-point-landing/541006/1 "2010-05-27T23:05:52Z")
Watching this really cool video called [Iron Baby](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyoA4LXQco4) I saw again the Hero Landing (at about 00:26 in the vid). You know the one where after falling/dropping/ landing the character lands on one foot, one knee and one hand at the same time. I’ve seen it in quite a few movies but wondering about it’s origin. I’m guessing it’s The Matirix. Anyone know of an earlier version? For those who don’t want to watch the video, [here’s a screen capture](http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4019/4645579225_1902571c54_o.png). ---
**Author:** ![crazyjoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@crazyjoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazyjoe)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2010, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-the-hero-three-point-landing/541006/2 "2010-05-27T23:13:45Z")
The origin preceeds the Matrix by a good bit, I am sure. I remember seeing a similar landing in the cartoon series Voltron, and that was on \ years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2010, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-the-hero-three-point-landing/541006/3 "2010-05-27T23:19:28Z")
Um… didn’t you ever jump off anything? If you’re landing harder than you can absorb just with knee flexion, but not so hard that you roll (or break something)… the three-point thing comes pretty natural. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2010, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-the-hero-three-point-landing/541006/4 "2010-05-27T23:19:54Z")
I don’t have any specific examples but I seem to recall the pose from comics books of times immemorial, before it got adopted to movies. There were also the partial ones with the a bend of the forward knee and both hands in fists pointing straight down but still far from the ground, usually with the cement cracked around their feet. ---
**Author:** ![unwashed\_brain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/a9adbd/32.png) [@unwashed\_brain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unwashed_brain)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2010, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-the-hero-three-point-landing/541006/5 "2010-05-27T23:21:25Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > Um… didn’t you ever jump off anything? > > If you’re landing harder than you can absorb just with knee flexion, but not so hard that you roll (or break something)… the three-point thing comes pretty natural. Nah - it’s a great way to for real people to break their wrist or kneecap. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2010, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-the-hero-three-point-landing/541006/6 "2010-05-27T23:25:35Z")
> **[Three-Point Landing - TV Tropes](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ThreePointLanding)** > > A popular visual trope often associated with martial arts. After performing a particularly cool move, or dropping from a great height, the character lands on the ground, feet wide apart and supporting their weight with one hand on the floor while … I think it must have started in anime. Right? Maybe? Dunno. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2010, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-the-hero-three-point-landing/541006/7 "2010-05-27T23:51:19Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ThreePointLanding](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ThreePointLanding) > > I think it must have started in anime. Right? Maybe? Dunno. Don’t but it looks like it. Thanks for the link, it’s a start. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-the-hero-three-point-landing/541006/8 "2010-05-28T00:03:05Z")
No cite, but I think Spidey was landing this way back in the 1960s. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-the-hero-three-point-landing/541006/9 "2010-05-28T00:37:33Z")
Random WAG here, but I think the three point stance might go all the way back to the early days of football or track and field, and an artist thought it would be cool to depict a human landing like that.