Jessica Michibata celebrates with the winners trophy of boyfriend Jenson Button of Great Britain and McLaren Mercedes in the paddock after he wins the the Australian Formula One Grand Prix at the Albert Park Circuit on March 28, 2010 in Melbourne, Australia.
This is one of those ironic combos. In the celebration that followed the win, Jessica is elated and holds the trophy above her head (anti gravity gesture), but at the same time she deliberately closes her eyes- where normally in a celebration we'd keep our eyes wide open to take as much visual stimulation in.
It could be she was overwhelmed and gave herself a short break, allowing herself to cognitively process what she was physically feeling. When you go through a stressful and emotional period (where she undoubtedly was sitting on the edge of her seat, jumping up and down, etc.) and come out happy, in our minds we could close our eyes to briefly say, "This was a great day, I can now end it on such a great high."
It also could be she was screaming so loud, she closed her eyes so she physically could focus and give the screen all she had.
Anytime you see two seemingly conflicting "things" it is usually noteworthy.◦
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Australian Formula One Grand Prix, Ironic Gesture and Facial Expression
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Colts vs Saints and Body Language
Are you ready for the Super Bowl! If you have been visiting for several months you might remember a post where I let it be known I'm from Indiana and I'm a big Colts fan.
Why am I saying all this now, and what does this have to do with body language?
Everything. To find out why check out a previous post, Body Language in Sports.
I also attended Purdue University so I am very familiar with Drew Brees. (My first experience with body language was with Dr. Mark L. Knapp when he taught an undergraduate class at Purdue University on nonverbal communication, where I was a communication major. I have to admit it did not make a huge impression on me at the time and if we ran into each other on the street I doubt we'd both know each other, other than perhaps a flicker of recognition. The funny thing was, the things I learned in his class obviously stuck with me.)
I've watch both quarterbacks for years, and I even went back and looked at college game film.
Why am I telling you this all now, you ask...
To not give either team an unfair advantage, the Sunday of the big game I will have my most exciting and explosive post.
I will break down the two quarterback's body language giving you a better than chance odds that you will be able to predict if it is a pass or a run.◦
Monday, June 29, 2009
Body Language in Sports
The funny thing about the words "body language" is they show up in the news most often to describe victory and defeat in sports, but there is much more to body language in sports.
In movement games like basketball and soccer the players are making decisions based on the opponents body language every second. Which way is the opponent likely to go- to the right or the left. What is the expression on their face, likely can tell me if they have numbers, or the advantage. Better players do this very well.
The other side is the strategy sports like American football. For the most part it is being ignored at even the top levels.
When I first noticed this was when I was playing football, I played defensive tackle and during the offensive part of the practice there was one coach that would look directly at the hole the ball would be run to when the huddle broke. Since it was practice the coaches were right behind the huddle, making it really easy to see where the ball was going. It was a huge advantage for me. If i knew it was coming at me I'd hold my ground and wait for the ball carrier to come to me, if it was to the other side I could basically ignore the offensive tackle, do a spin move to the other side of the field next to the play- It worked perfectly... except once when I was in too good at getting over to the other side of the line, the running back cut back to my assigned side of the line... "where the h@#l were you warr..."
If I was a defensive back I would be taking it all in: Does the receiver move into starting position faster when it is a pass play; Do they follow the route with their eyes before the snap; how closely is the receiver looking at the defensive setup; what is the quarterback doing; do the line man act differently when approaching the line when it is a run/pass; what is the coach playing the call doing right after the play is being brought in- does he have happy feet, or nervous whenever the long ball is thrown. There are so many players and situations to account for, but when you pick up on a "tell" it is like you were in their huddle, and if that happens 3-4+ plays a game that is an advantage. Colts quarterback, Peyton Manning watches his own game film and analyzes his own non verbal behavior to see if he can tell if the play called was a pass or run, there are times he sees the smallest tell in his own body language.
No matter what the sport, from soccer to chess, if you analyze the opponent it can lead to advantages◦
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