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Contribution of Visual Information about Ball Trajectory to Baseball Hitting Accuracy
Takatoshi Higuchi1,2, Tomoyuki Nagami1, Hiroki Nakata3
1Faculty of Sport Sciences, Waseda University, Tokorozawa, Japan.
Plos One
|February 6, 2016
Summary
Visual information from later ball trajectory segments improves baseball hitting accuracy by reducing variability, especially in the bat's short axis. This suggests visuo-motor delays limit the impact of early visual cues.
Area of Science:
- Sports Science
- Biomechanics
- Motor Control
Background:
- Accurate baseball hitting relies on visual information from a pitched ball's trajectory.
- The specific visual cues and their timing that contribute to hitting accuracy are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between hitting accuracy and the visible portion of a baseball's trajectory.
- To determine how different segments of the ball's flight path influence bat-contact variability.
Main Methods:
- Ten college baseball players performed hitting trials with a pitching machine at two speeds.
- Visual occlusion was applied at specific times: 150 ms after release (R+150) and 150 ms before home plate arrival (A-150), alongside a no-occlusion (NO) condition.
- Systematic error and standardized variability of ball-bat contact were analyzed using ANOVA.
Main Results:
- Visual occlusion did not significantly alter the mean location of ball-bat contact.
- Standardized variability was significantly lower in the bat's short axis compared to the long axis and pitcher-to-catcher directions.
- Increased visible time (from R+150 to A-150/NO) further reduced variability specifically in the bat's short axis.
Conclusions:
- Hitting accuracy shows directional specificity in variability reduction based on visible trajectory time.
- Later portions of the ball's trajectory are crucial for improving hitting accuracy, likely due to visuo-motor processing delays.
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