For the first assignment, I choose to observe the movement of professional athletes at the Rome Braves baseball stadium. The Rome Braves played the Greensboro Grasshoppers starting at 7PM on Friday August 27, 2010. Both teams consist of approximately 30 men, all in their early-to-mid twenties. I selected this form of sporting event because it gave me the opportunity to observe the movements of high-level athletes in a formal setting where they theoretically are at optimum performance.
Since the setting involved a game situation, learning or enhancing movements were at a minimum. Practice is usually when the athletes learn different movements to create different results. However, the pitcher and catcher did alter their throwing/catching technique for each individual batter. Depending on the batter's swinging style, dominant hand, score of the game, and even weather, the pitcher makes minute adjustments in his release in order to create different throws, such as a fast-pitch, curve ball, or strike. These changes in throwing style require a great deal of fine motor skill in order for the pitch to be fast and accurate.
While most children learn to throw and catch at an early age, the level of skill required for minor league baseball is developmentally appropriate for adult men. Part of what makes the sport developmentally appropriate for grown men is the size of the field and number of players. With only 9 players on the field, 90 feet between each base, and a large outfield, the participants are required to throw the ball at great lengths while still being accurate. The players must account for the distance of the throw, the time it will take for the ball to reach the destination, the speed of the batter, and weather conditions. All these circumstances must be evaluated in mere seconds (or less) for the team to have a chance to tag the batter. Therefore, baseball combines hand-eye coordination and quick cognition.
An interesting observation about baseball is the fact that there is relatively little movement on the field. Although the players clearly spend an excessive amount of time working out and building muscle mass, the majority of the game is stationary. The pitcher stands in the same place throwing the ball at the batter. Only when the batter strikes the ball does anybody else move- usually only the person that is in the line of trajectory of the ball. The outfielders and batters have the most opportunity for movement, but even then, the movements are short bursts of energy in sprinting form. After the play ends, everyone stands still again. Some players barely move at all. For example, not a single ball was hit into right field during the entire game, which means that the right fielder was not required to move at all. Some of the players were not actively engaged in the game because the ball never came their way. If I could modify the game of baseball, I would create some kind of constant movement in the outfield and on the bases to where the athletes expended more energy.
Despite the lack of exercise some of the athletes received, the players did seem to enjoy the game. There was no unsportsmanlike conduct or foul playing. Even between the two teams, there was an aura of respect and companionship. In between each inning was some kind of game in which the audience members would participate. These mini-games helped lighten the competitive atmosphere that usually develops at sporting events. Overall, the Braves and the Grasshoppers provided entertainment that was both competitive and enjoying.
One of the biggest surprises to me was the realization of how little equipment is used for safety precautions. The only participants that wear any equipment are the catcher, umpire, and batter. While the catcher and umpire are well equipped, the batter wears only a helmet and cup. In the 5th inning, one of the Braves's batters got hit in the foot by the pitcher. With the ball moving at a minimum of 75 miles per hour, the batter was lucky to not have broken a toe. This occurrence made me think about how fast a ball might be hit to a player in the infield. Those players wear no protection other than a cup. Although the players' catching abilities far surpass the average person's, accidents can still happen. Baseball would be much safer if every player was required to wear at least a helmet and some kind of chest padding.
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