DEVELOPMENT OF THE OVERARM THROWING MOTION FOR JAPANESE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL GIRLS

Abstract

The purpose of this study were to investigate characteristics of the overarm throwing motion for Japanese school girls, 2nd, 4th and 6th grades, with a standard motion model of skilled girls. The throwing motions of fifty-one girls were videotaped and seven girls for each grade were selected based on the throwing distance for 3-D motion analysis. Throwing distance, ball velocity and release height were significantly increased with the increase in school grades. The 2nd grade girls threw by a dominant shoulder joint abduction and elbow joint extension, the 4th grade girls indicated a large range of motion of the right upper limb, and the 6th grade girls strode forward with the trunk leaned to the right and used a rapid external-internal rotation of the shoulder joint.