Softball

I skipped my HIT session this week in lieu of a few hours of slow pitch softball on Friday morning. I don't think I've touched a glove or bat more than once in 10 years, so I was less concerned with distinguishing myself, and more concerned with not looking like a fool.



However, it seems these concerns were unwarranted. I played well, scored the tying run in the final inning of our second game, and ended up pitching our final game and fielding the final out. We went undefeated for three games, none of which were taken too seriously, but it was a good time, and I managed to put the ball in the outfield at every at-bat. I'm still no softball player, but it's amazing what improving your strength/power to weight ratio does for your athleticism. While I'm still not at all naturally athletic, I was certainly surprised at my ability to keep up.

What I'm really surprised by is how primal I found softball to be. Unlike my previous experiences with organized sports (I was, tragically, a cross-country runner in my past life), the movements and pace of softball really do fit into what I imagine a paleo-lithic hunting experience might be. Not that this is new information, but the game consists of:

A lot of patient waiting.
Short, maximum effort sprints. (between bases)
Maximum effort heaves (throwing the ball).
Maximum effort swings (hitting the ball).
Lateral shifting and diving (fielding the ball).
An emphasis on accuracy and hand-eye coordination.

It's funny because even though I enjoyed little league, though I wasn't that good, I've always looked at baseball players as the laziest of athletes. They spend so much time standing around! This really is a mark of the impact our modern, misguided understanding of fitness on our perception of athleticism.

From a 'paleo' perspective, baseball/softball really forces you through many motor patterns you might have experienced when hunting. Waiting, focusing, sprinting, heaving, swinging, hitting . . . sounds like what you'd have to do to kill something to me!

Anyway, it was a good time, and made for a good change of pace to my routine. I got a great deal of sun, and best of all, I was able to perform well while fasted all morning. I also played in my vibrams. This elicited no end of comments from concerned bystanders waiting for me to break my ankle. I emerged unscathed. The only difficulty was in skidding to a stop on the dirt, as the friction generated gave me some hot spots on my toes. Otherwise, it was refreshing to do some sprinting