Comments on: Throwing like a girl(‘s brain)

By: Gilbert

Gilbert — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 07:10:44 +0000

Greg, that’s a great article. Please let me know where to find part 2. You created so much anticipation in this first part and it seems it’s not complete without the promised 2nd part. Is it on http://blogs.plos.org/neuroanthropology? Thanks anyway!

By: KR

KR — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 02:06:57 +0000

This is amazing work; I’m a coach who teaches girls (high school) Ultimate — throwing a flying disc. Any further readings on this topic would be helpful here — as would links to the rest of the series.

By: Josie

Josie — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 01:05:48 +0000

Hi – I am a human movement student looking at getting girls involved in cricket – this is great stuff and supports supporting involvement for girls in sport. But I need part 2?!!!!!

By: You too can throw like a girl | MU 382 Brains!

You too can throw like a girl | MU 382 Brains! — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 20:36:08 +0000

[...] work on gender and sport got me thinking and I just tracked down a post at Neuroanthropology that interested me a lot. Greg Downey does a fascinating survey of current research on the [...]

By: Luke Allen

Luke Allen — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 16:26:17 +0000

actually, that video is fake, sorry about that.

By: Luke Allen

Luke Allen — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 16:20:45 +0000

I have an older sister (17 month difference). She was bigger and stronger than me until I was about 10 years old. Because of the fact that I “had” to learn how to throw a baseball, she did too. I cannot remember a time when there was ANYTHING that I could do physically that she couldn’t. She played tackle football with the boys all the way through high school and she was FEARED for how hard she could hit. Granted, she is much taller than most women (6′) and has made efforts to become stronger, but I think its evidence of exactly what this article was driving at. It is far more about external gender conditioning than actual ability.
Girls are supposed to be skinny and weak. Pick up any fashion magazine and look at our value set concerning that. Girls who are strong are considered “butch” and often ostracized for even competing with boys. My sister was constantly ridiculed because of her superiority, something that has no positive place in “development.” She was better, and was punished for it.
Look up “Ball girl makes amazing grab” on Youtube if you think girls can’t jump (another misconception).

Excellent article, I would buy any book you write on the topic.

By: Nancy Lebovitz

Nancy Lebovitz — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 09:26:56 +0000

You describe the wrist flick as the most obvious part of “throwing like a girl”, but obviousness is in the mind of the beholder.

Speaking as someone who’s been studying Tai Chi for a while, it takes time to learn to see that the coordination in the torso is crucial to the quality of movement for the arms and legs.

I don’t have specific advice for teaching throwing, but his wrist flick might be the movement which makes sense considering what your son is doing with the rest of his body.

I recommend experimenting with throwing the way he does, and seeing whether that gives you some information.

By: Ashley Ray

Ashley Ray — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 19:07:27 +0000

Great article!

By: We agree it’s WEIRD, but is it WEIRD enough? « Neuroanthropology

We agree it’s WEIRD, but is it WEIRD enough? « Neuroanthropology — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 11:26:23 +0000

[...] example of this that I have discussed is overhand throwing, a task that has been used in some tests of motor coordination in spite of the fact that different [...]

By: Greg Downey’s top 10 of 2009 « Neuroanthropology

Greg Downey’s top 10 of 2009 « Neuroanthropology — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 12:18:28 +0000

[...] Throwing like a girl(’s brain) — I wrote a chapter on throwing for a forthcoming book on biocultural approaches to sport, [...]