Public Spark

Clear communication among different members

In baseball, have you seen the ball fly in between the left fielder and the center fielder and it looks it’s going to fall between them? Then at the last minute, one player backs away and the other gets it. Good teamwork and successful plays rely heavily on clear communication. In baseball, there are so many elements that require effective teamwork like the pick-off, double play, sacrifice bunt and more. Baseball players also use specialized hand signals to communicate strategies to their own team members. You often see coaches touching their head, nose, etc conveying which move the players should do next. Catchers and pitchers use hand signals as well. In this way, teams can communicate without the opponent knowing their strategies.

Rhythm in unison

Teamwork is not all about being able to talk to each other about strategy and then executing. In baseball, each player follows the progress of the game carefully and tracks the movement of his eight teammates. Each player has pre-arranged assignments during the game, depending on the situation. Individuals must also be able to sense what the other team members are doing and work in unison. In synchronized swimming teams must work together from breath control to movement coordination. If one is out of sync, the artistry and grace is lost.

Physical compatibility

Athletes must be matched physically in order for team work to be effective as well. Any team will struggle if there is one player that is “weaker.” In Rowing for example, everyone must be able to keep up with one another or the players will lose speed. Another sport that relies heavily on physical compatibility is beach volleyball. If there is a weaker player, the opponent will have an advantage since they will keep exploiting that player.