Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 11, 2026
07:55
Standard Operating Procedure for Lyssavirus Surveillance of the Bat Population in Taiwan
Published on: August 27, 2019
8.0K
The Kinetics of Swinging a Baseball Bat
Joseph J Crisco1, Nikolas J Osvalds1, Michael J Rainbow2
11 The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.
Journal of Applied Biomechanics
|April 14, 2018
Summary
Baseball players generate more force with heavier bats, correlating with higher bat tip speed. Players primarily pull the bat, applying significant rotational force just before impact.
Area of Science:
- Sports Biomechanics
- Kinetics and Kinematics
Background:
- Understanding the biomechanics of baseball swings is crucial for performance enhancement and injury prevention.
- Previous research has focused on kinematics, but 3D kinetics during the swing remain less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compute the 3-dimensional kinetics involved in swinging baseball bats with varying moments of inertia.
- To analyze the relationship between bat properties, swing dynamics, and player forces/moments.
Main Methods:
- Utilized inverse dynamics to calculate forces and moments acting on the bat during swings.
- Analyzed 306 swings from 22 male players (ages 13-18) using motion capture and bat physical properties.
- Computed kinetics with respect to the batter's hands.
Main Results:
- Peak forces increased with higher bat moments of inertia and strongly correlated with bat tip speed.
- Peak moments showed weak correlations with bat moment of inertia and bat tip speed.
- Applied force was mainly along the bat's axis, while moment was minimal until just before impact.
Conclusions:
- Baseball players primarily apply a pulling force to the bat throughout the swing.
- Players rapidly increase rotational moment on the bat immediately before ball impact.
- This kinetic analysis offers new insights into the forces and moments governing baseball bat swings.
Related Concept Videos
01:21The Swing Equation
1.4K
The Swing Equation is a fundamental tool in power system dynamics, especially for analyzing the behavior of generating units like three-phase synchronous generators. This equation emerges from applying Newton's second law to the rotor of a generator, encompassing factors such as inertia, angular acceleration, and the interplay between mechanical and electrical torques.
In a steady-state operation, the mechanical torque (Τm) supplied to the generator is balanced by the electrical torque (Τe)...
In a steady-state operation, the mechanical torque (Τm) supplied to the generator is balanced by the electrical torque (Τe)...
1.4K
00:23Kinetic Energy
43.6K
Kinetic energy is the ability of an object in motion to do work or enact change. It can take on many forms. For instance, water flowing down a waterfall has kinetic energy. In biological systems, particles of light travel and are absorbed by plants to create chemical energy. Animals consume the chemical energy and give off molecules that carry their scent through the air. They also generate kinetic energy when they run away from predators. Entire systems also possess kinetic energy, like the...
43.6K
01:19Enzyme Kinetics
104.4K
Enzymes speed up reactions by lowering the activation energy of the reactants. The speed at which the enzyme turns reactants into products is called the rate of reaction. Several factors impact the rate of reaction, including the number of available reactants. Enzyme kinetics is the study of how an enzyme changes the rate of a reaction.
Scientists typically study enzyme kinetics with a fixed amount of enzyme in the controlled environment of a test tube. When more reactant, or substrate, is...
Scientists typically study enzyme kinetics with a fixed amount of enzyme in the controlled environment of a test tube. When more reactant, or substrate, is...
104.4K
03:07Kinetic Molecular Theory: Molecular Velocities, Temperature, and Kinetic Energy
30.0K
The kinetic molecular theory qualitatively explains the behaviors described by the various gas laws. The postulates of this theory may be applied in a more quantitative fashion to derive these individual laws.
30.0K
01:26Kinetic Friction
1.5K
Consider a truck trying to pull a stationary car. As the truck exerts a force on the car, static friction is created at the point of contact between the two surfaces. This frictional force resists the car's movement and keeps it at rest. However, when the applied force by the truck surpasses the limiting static frictional force, an interesting phenomenon occurs. The frictional force at the interface reduces to a lower value, known as the kinetic frictional force. At this point, the car...
1.5K
01:05Elimination Kinetics: First-Order and Zero-Order
3.0K
Eliminating drugs from the body is a vital process that occurs through excretion or metabolism. Understanding the kinetics of drug elimination is crucial for drug development, dosage determination, and optimizing patient outcomes.
Drug clearance depends on the rate of drug elimination and its plasma concentration. Another important parameter is a drug's half-life, which is the time required for its concentration to decrease by half. In most cases, drug clearance follows first-order...
Drug clearance depends on the rate of drug elimination and its plasma concentration. Another important parameter is a drug's half-life, which is the time required for its concentration to decrease by half. In most cases, drug clearance follows first-order...
3.0K