Catching a Fly

I’m amazed at all the amazement over the President swatting a fly with his hand. Every news site or news forum I’ve visited over the past couple of days has had a mention of this “feat.” To hear and read about it, you’d think he caught a bullet with his bare hand.

Last night on the radio, Doctor Dean Edell (a show I enjoy listening to on occasion) talked about this “amazing ability.” He said it is “nearly impossible for human reflexes to catch a fly.” Bullshit. And this is from a freakin’ doctor.

I catch a fly every few months. I’ve caught literally dozens of flies through my life. I caught a fly just last weekend, in front of my sons and wife. It ain’t easy, but it sure as heck ain’t a super feat or special skill.

When we get a fly in our house, instead of swatting it (with a dedicated swatter, a magazine, a shoe, or a bare hand), I catch it. I don’t swat because we don’t want fly guts smeared on the wall, counter, or table. I especially don’t want fly guts on my hands. That’s just nasty.

So my boys act as spotters, helping me follow the little insect and watch where it lands. When it lands in a spot I can reach, I swipe at it, and I have about a 50% chance of catching it on the first try. When it lands somewhere I can’t reach, (like in the blinds), we have to scare it back out for another round.

I’ve even, at least once that I can remember off the top of my head, caught a fly on the wing. I snatched it right out of mid air, in flight. That is very difficult, and I doubt my 40+ year old reflexes could pull that off, now.

So all this excitement over the President — or anyone — swatting a fly with their bare hand is ridiculous. It just ain’t that hard. It’s not like Daniel-san catching a fly with chopsticks. When I first heard about, and saw the video, I thought it was a slightly humorous item. The President swatted an annoyance on camera. But all this attention it’s getting has become silly.

Try it yourself, sometime. Wait for the fly to land on a surface. Slowly get your open hand about 12 inches close to the bug. Then quickly swipe across, slightly higher than the target, and close your hand as you swing. If you’ve never tried before, it may take a few tries. But once you see how a fly reacts to the swipe, you’ll get better.

If you don’t squeeze your hand shut too tight, you can feel the insect crawling around inside your fist. Be careful that you don’t let it crawl out. Then you’ll have to catch it all over again. But also don’t squeeze too tight or you’ll have bug guts in your hand. Then your wife won’t let you touch her for three days (when she forgets about the fly.)

Bullgrit