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Of Interest / Re: 2007 WebBall Challenge - Optimum Performance
« Last post by Steve on April 09, 2007, 03:38:02 PM ».........." I wonder if it is more of an active concentration that helps....."
The simple answer is yes .Of course that begs the question ,"What does active concentration mean?"
Some years back Paul Nyman had a conversation with Jesse Barfield [ex big league hitter whose son is Josh Barfield] and he ask him "when do pick up a curveball ?"
And Jesse replied "before it leaves his hand ."
Meaning that there was some "environmental cue " [Schmidt et al] that he was picking up prior to release .
This would be consistent with numerous studies of elite athletes [tennis players, etc. ] and how they using various environmental cues that are largely tacitly [sub-consciously] generated, and which allows them to actually start moving slightly sooner than would a novice .
Environmental cues would be things such as body movements, body angles, racquet positioning ,etc., etc.
This is known as "anticipation " ---see John McCrone very good articles under the heading of "Going Inside "----or using visual/environmental cues in an anticipatory manner. [See, for ex. John McCrone's very good articles under the heading of "Going Inside."].
In numerous studies of expert performers vs novice or non-expert performers, this is something that is part of explaining /understanding the difference between the expert performer relative to others .
[And of course one of the other relatively stark differences is the relative consistency of performance in terms of kinematic parameters, eg., in a study of world class table tennis players ,the movement of the arm and the paddle was within a remarkably narrow range --- spatio-temporal parameters, i.e., the range of movement and the range of timing of that movement, relative to non -expert performers.]
As to the processes involved in developing the capacity to move and react in anticipatory fashion, that is a subject that is not at all clearly understood.
Other than to say that it has everything to do with the brain, and how it goes about processing information. And how it goes about adapting [learning] in a manner that, over time, heightens this kind of of tacit [sub-conscious] awareness as described by researchers studying high level athletes.
And it also means that all of the above has very little to do with some label as "hand -eye coordination ."
Essentially the term "hand -eye coordination " is a very superficial term that is almost completely bereft of "explanatory power", i.e., it does not remotely explain how one goes about moving body and implement to a precise point in time in expert fashion [or in non-expert fashion for that matter].
Mel Siff has similarly argued that you cannot think of movement in "isolation "--- by noting that even in the relatively simple act reaching for a cup of coffee there are 5 joints and 27 muscles involved, [and not counting the appendages of the fingers].
How the brain, nervous system, and muscle/connective tissue systems goes about coordinating movement is, even in the mere reaching for a cup of coffee , a remarkably complex event .
When you add to this complexity, trying to track a 90 mph baseball and intercept it at a very precise point with an implement like a bat, you are adding complexity by orders of magnitude .
It is a near miracle to even touch a ball much less hit it consistently well !!!
One thing is certain. Explaining it as an act of "hand-eye coordination " does not at all explain the actual complexities of the process.
steve
The simple answer is yes .Of course that begs the question ,"What does active concentration mean?"
Some years back Paul Nyman had a conversation with Jesse Barfield [ex big league hitter whose son is Josh Barfield] and he ask him "when do pick up a curveball ?"
And Jesse replied "before it leaves his hand ."
Meaning that there was some "environmental cue " [Schmidt et al] that he was picking up prior to release .
This would be consistent with numerous studies of elite athletes [tennis players, etc. ] and how they using various environmental cues that are largely tacitly [sub-consciously] generated, and which allows them to actually start moving slightly sooner than would a novice .
Environmental cues would be things such as body movements, body angles, racquet positioning ,etc., etc.
This is known as "anticipation " ---see John McCrone very good articles under the heading of "Going Inside "----or using visual/environmental cues in an anticipatory manner. [See, for ex. John McCrone's very good articles under the heading of "Going Inside."].
In numerous studies of expert performers vs novice or non-expert performers, this is something that is part of explaining /understanding the difference between the expert performer relative to others .
[And of course one of the other relatively stark differences is the relative consistency of performance in terms of kinematic parameters, eg., in a study of world class table tennis players ,the movement of the arm and the paddle was within a remarkably narrow range --- spatio-temporal parameters, i.e., the range of movement and the range of timing of that movement, relative to non -expert performers.]
As to the processes involved in developing the capacity to move and react in anticipatory fashion, that is a subject that is not at all clearly understood.
Other than to say that it has everything to do with the brain, and how it goes about processing information. And how it goes about adapting [learning] in a manner that, over time, heightens this kind of of tacit [sub-conscious] awareness as described by researchers studying high level athletes.
And it also means that all of the above has very little to do with some label as "hand -eye coordination ."
Essentially the term "hand -eye coordination " is a very superficial term that is almost completely bereft of "explanatory power", i.e., it does not remotely explain how one goes about moving body and implement to a precise point in time in expert fashion [or in non-expert fashion for that matter].
Mel Siff has similarly argued that you cannot think of movement in "isolation "--- by noting that even in the relatively simple act reaching for a cup of coffee there are 5 joints and 27 muscles involved, [and not counting the appendages of the fingers].
How the brain, nervous system, and muscle/connective tissue systems goes about coordinating movement is, even in the mere reaching for a cup of coffee , a remarkably complex event .
When you add to this complexity, trying to track a 90 mph baseball and intercept it at a very precise point with an implement like a bat, you are adding complexity by orders of magnitude .
It is a near miracle to even touch a ball much less hit it consistently well !!!
One thing is certain. Explaining it as an act of "hand-eye coordination " does not at all explain the actual complexities of the process.
steve
Sorry, couldn't help myself.