The High Five

After watching the basketball game tonight I saw an interesting segment on the news about the sporting advantage of the high five. Over three games in the series with high fives, hugs, chest bumps and butt taps all taken into account the Dallas Mavericks' total came to 250 and the Miami Heat's 134. The Mavericks were also 82 percent more likely to high five. Could a simple hand slapping act have any possible advantage in the outcome of a game? Researchers at the University of California studied games in the 2008-09 NBA season and found that teams were more likely to win if they were more "hands-on". I then got to thinking about other instances in which a high five might occur. Fans celebrating at sporting events will more often than not do so through a high five; just the other night I found myself exchanging hand slaps whilst watching the hockey game. The greatest of all high fives I've ever experienced occurred a few years ago at a concert; the energy and sound that came off these two guys' slap was almost palpable.

Perhaps it's some sort swapping of energy that makes the act so significant. They theorized in the broadcast that players are more capable of making tough shots when they "touch" teammates in the final minutes of a game. Quite often in an NBA game you'll see players high five and butt tap when they are shooting free throws. It's a pretty outlandish notion but nonetheless it's something to think about next time you watch a game. Hockey players don't do it quite so much, only when they score goals. It would be interesting to see players high fiving and tapping each other with their sticks at any given moment in a game. High sticking penalty? High five! Faceoff? High Five! Icing? High Five! Offside? High five! Period over? High five! I think you get the picture...

Link to article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304392704576373641168929846.html

Link to website all about high fives:
http://www.highFive.me.uk/