Fordham’s Brian Kownacki Leaps The Catcher To Score!
(Video courtesy of the Fordham athletic department) WFUV’s Gregg Caserta on the call.)
Watch the video of Fordham’s Brian Kownacki leap the catcher to score in the win against Iona! Amazing on its own, but what, if any, nonverbal language can we read from the video? Actually, there’s a lot going on here about dishonest and non committed body language, most notably from the catcher. You’ve seen the video, but without reviewing it, could you decide if the catcher really did tag the runner? What does the catcher do to indicate his case? His case, by the way, is made from the moment he motions to tag. After leaping, the catcher quickly turns around and tries to track the runner down. Why would he do this? Obviously, it is because he knows he hasn’t made the tag and goes for a second try.
The second obvious clue to his failed case is that he uses an uncommitted upward motion to indicate how he tagged the runner. He pulls his arms upward in a lax way, as if he’s not really trying. He puts no emphasis in his motion, his arms are loose and non-committed, and instead of emphasizing his tag over and over again and defy gravity with exuberance as an honest person would, his arms seem to form an arching or rainbow motion and come back down. This is typical of someone who is lying. They simply fail to commit to their case. The coach does his job well though by coming out arms flailing all over the place gesturing with enthusiasm. What separates the coach and the player is very obvious, the catcher knows he hasn’t made the tag, the coach doesn’t. What does the catcher do next? He quietly exits to the dug-out because he knows he didn’t make the tag! His exit is another example of a lack of commitment. Honest people gesture over and over again, commit to their case, and take the time to correct misinterpretations no matter how long it takes.
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