Why Boys Are Better Throwers, And How Girls Can Close The Gap | ThePostGame

Why Boys Are Better Throwers, And How Girls Can Close The Gap | ThePostGame:

"The overhand throwing gap, beginning at 4 years of age, is three times the difference of any other motor task, and it just gets bigger across age," said Jerry Thomas, dean of the College of Education at the University of North Texas. "By 18, there’s hardly any overlap in the distribution: Nearly every boy by age 15 throws better than the best girl."

Haspel writes that a skillful overhand throw involves three phases: the step, the rotation and the whip. Men are superior at each of those phases, and the difference may be most prevalent in the rotation. Thomas said men tend to rotate their hips forward before turning their shoulders and opening their bodies, whereas women rotate their hips and shoulders in one motion. Women lose speed in their throwing motion by not separating their rotation."

The explanation for this contrast goes back thousands of years. According to Thomas, the men who were best at throwing rocks got the girls. Meanwhile women were often holding a baby when they threw, and that constricted their motion. Now, Haspel notes, many women have a throwing motion that looks more like they are tossing a dart. Harvard softball coach Jenny Allard called overhand throwing "the most undertaught skill in softball."

With the proper teaching, women can overcome the evolutionary head start of men. Indeed, if girls were to learn the proper rotation and throwing motion, they could render Ham Porter's insult useless.

from the Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/throw-like-a-girl-with-some-practice-you-can-do-better/2012/09/10/9ffc8bc8-dc09-11e1-9974-5c975ae4810f_story.html

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