Why do girls throw like girls?

[mhendo]

@Cardinal

Rugby and being a soccer goalkeeper are unlikely to teach you the whipping motion needed to throw a small ball well. IIRC, forward passes in rugby are illegal, and you can’t really whip a soccer ball, because you can’t actually grab it.

True.

Also, rugby balls are larger than American footballs, making it more difficult to throw them with one hand. It can be done (and is done for lineouts), but you can’t get the same grip on a rugby ball as a quarterback gets on a football.

[Sophistry_and_Illusion]

@Cardinal

Rugby and being a soccer goalkeeper are unlikely to teach you the whipping motion needed to throw a small ball well. IIRC, forward passes in rugby are illegal, and you can’t really whip a soccer ball, because you can’t actually grab it.

Many moons ago, I read the James Fallows *Atlantic Monthly * article cited in a previous post. Apparently, this whipping motion is key to throwing powerfully while throwing overhanded. But you can’t do this with an object (like a rugby ball or a soccer ball) which you cannot grasp effectively. Also, this motion takes a great deal of coordination and synchronization among many muscles in the body, and hence takes a lot of practice to master. Ergo, lack of practice entails throwing badly (or “like a girl,” as the posters who are less modern and enlightened than I am put it. )

[mhendo]

Well, after three people cited the James Fallows article, i decided i had to read it. I made use of my Atlantic Monthly subscription and found the article on the web. I can’t link to it, because access requires a subscription and a password, but here are a couple of relevant paragraphs:

Braden [a sports coach] says that an effective throw involves connecting a series of links in a “kinetic chain.” The kinetic chain, which is Braden’s tool for analyzing most sporting activity, operates on a principle like that of crack-the-whip. Momentum builds up in one part of the body. When that part is suddenly stopped, as the end of the “whip” is stopped in crack-the-whip, the momentum is transferred to and concentrated in the next link in the chain. A good throw uses six links of chain, Braden says. The first two links involve the lower body, from feet to waist. The first motion of a throw (after the body has been rotated away from the target) is to rotate the legs and hips back in the direction of the throw, building up momentum as large muscles move body mass. Then those links stop–a pitcher stops turning his hips once they face the plate–and the momentum is transferred to the next link. This is the torso, from waist to shoulders, and since its mass is less than that of the legs, momentum makes it rotate faster than the hips and legs did. The torso stops when it is facing the plate, and the momentum is transferred to the next link–the upper arm. As the upper arm comes past the head, it stops moving forward, and the momentum goes into the final links–the forearm and wrist, which snap forward at tremendous speed.

<snip>

The implication of Braden’s analysis is that throwing is a perfectly natural action (millions and millions of people can do it), but not at all innate. A successful throw involves an intricate series of actions coordinated among muscle groups, as each link of the chain is timed to interact with the next. Like bike riding or skating, it can be learned by anyone–male or female.

<snip>

[A good way to learn how to throw properly] is to play catch with a person who can throw like an athlete but is using his or her off hand. The typical adult woman hates to play catch with the typical adult man. She is well aware that she’s not looking graceful, and reacts murderously to the condescending tone in his voice (“That’s more like it, honey!”). Forcing a right-handed man to throw left-handed is the great equalizer. He suddenly concentrates his attention on what it takes to get hips, shoulder, and elbow working together. He is suddenly aware of the strength of character needed to ignore the snickers of onlookers while learning new motor skills. He can no longer be condescending. He may even be nervous, wondering what he’ll do if his partner makes the breakthrough first and he’s the one still throwing like a girl.

From James Fallows, “Throwing Like a Girl,” Atlantic Monthly, August 1996.