Anthropometric and kinematic influences on release speed in men's fast-medium bowling

The main aim of this study was to identify significant relationships between selected anthropometric and kinematic variables and ball release speed. Nine collegiate fast-medium bowlers (mean +/- s: age 21.0 +/- 0.9 years, body mass 77.2 +/- 8.1 kg, height 1.83 +/- 0.1 m) were filmed and reconstructed three-dimensionally. Ball release speeds were measured by a previously validated Speedchek Personal Sports Radar (Tribar Industries, Canada). Relationships between selected anthropometric variables and ball release speed and between kinematic variables and ball release speed were investigated using Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficients (r). A significant relationship was found between the horizontal velocity during the pre-delivery stride (r = 0.728, P < 0.05) and ball release speed (31.5 +/- 1.9 m(-1) s(-1)). We believe that the high correlation was due to the bowlers using techniques that allowed them to contribute more of the horizontal velocity created during the run-up to ball release speed. We also found that the angular velocity (40.6 +/- 3.4 rad x s(-1)) of the right humerus had a low correlation (r = 0.358, P > 0.05) with ball release speed. Although the action of the wrist was not analysed because of an inadequate frame rate, we found high correlations between ball release speed and shoulder-wrist length (661 +/- 31 mm; r = 0.626, P < 0.05) and ball release speed and total arm length (860 +/- 36 mm; r = 0.583, P < 0.05). We conclude that the variance in release speed within this group may be accounted for by the difference in radial length between the axis of rotation at the glenohumeral joint and the release point.