Tomoyuki Nagami

Spin on Fastballs Thrown by Elite Baseball Pitchers

PURPOSE In this study, we analyzed the direction of the spin axis angles and the spin rate of baseballs pitched by elite collegiate and professional pitchers. METHOD The video image of a ball being pitched was taken from the period just before release until 200 ms after release with a high-speed video camera at a rate of 1000 frames per second. A custom-made device was used to analyze the spin axis angle and the spin rate. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION There were no significant differences in the direction of the spin axis angles or the spin rate between collegiate and professional pitchers. A significant correlation was obtained between spin rate and ball speed; that is, the higher the ball speed, the greater the spin rate. In addition, the spin rate deviated more across subjects than did ball speed. For all subjects, the azimuth and elevation of spin axis were 19° ± 14° and -32° ± 9°, respectively. Some of the pitchers were able to put a characteristic spin on their fastball; the nature of this spin could be related to their pitching success.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PERFORMANCE VARIABLES AND BASEBALL ABILITY IN YOUTH BASEBALL PLAYERS

Abstract Nakata, H, Nagami, T, Higuchi, T, Sakamoto, K, and Kanosue, K. Relationship between performance variables and baseball ability in youth baseball players. J Strength Cond Res 27(10): 2887–2897, 2013—The present study investigated the relationship of performance variables and anthropometric measurements on baseball ability in 164 youth baseball players (age: 6.4–15.7 years). To evaluate their baseball performance, ball speeds in pitching and batting were recorded and kinetic energies of the pitched and hit balls were calculated. To record anthropometric and physical fitness characteristics, height and weight were measured and a battery of physical fitness tests covering standing long jump, side steps, sit-ups, 10-m sprint, trunk flexion, back strength, and grip strengths of both hands were conducted. The results of a multiple regression analysis revealed several significant predictors: age, body mass index (BMI), standing long jump, 10-m sprint, and grip strength for pitched ball kinetic energy and age, BMI, standing long jump, and back strength for hit ball kinetic energy. This study provides scientific evidence that relates certain specific physical performance tests and body characteristics with high achievement in the actual performance of pitching and batting. Youth players, their parents, coaches, and trainers would benefit by addressing these characteristics when planning training programs to improve the baseball performance of youth players.

Contribution of Visual Information about Ball Trajectory to Baseball Hitting Accuracy.

The contribution of visual information about a pitched ball to the accuracy of baseball-bat contact may vary depending on the part of trajectory seen. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between hitting accuracy and the segment of the trajectory of the flying ball that can be seen by the batter. Ten college baseball field players participated in the study. The systematic error and standardized variability of ball-bat contact on the bat coordinate system and pitcher-to-catcher direction when hitting a ball launched from a pitching machine were measured with or without visual occlusion and analyzed using analysis of variance. The visual occlusion timing included occlusion from 150 milliseconds (ms) after the ball release (R+150), occlusion from 150 ms before the expected arrival of the launched ball at the home plate (A-150), and a condition with no occlusion (NO). Twelve trials in each condition were performed using two ball speeds (31.9 m·s-1 and 40.3 m·s-1). Visual occlusion did not affect the mean location of ball-bat contact in the bat’s long axis, short axis, and pitcher-to-catcher directions. Although the magnitude of standardized variability was significantly smaller in the bat’s short axis direction than in the bat’s long axis and pitcher-to-catcher directions (p < 0.001), additional visible time from the R+150 condition to the A-150 and NO conditions resulted in a further decrease in standardized variability only in the bat’s short axis direction (p < 0.05). The results suggested that there is directional specificity in the magnitude of standardized variability with different visible time. The present study also confirmed the limitation to visual information is the later part of the ball trajectory for improving hitting accuracy, which is likely due to visuo-motor delay.

The acute and chronic effects of isometric contraction conditioning on baseball bat velocity.

Abstract Higuchi, T, Nagami, T, Mizuguchi, N, and Anderson, T. The acute and chronic effects of isometric contraction conditioning on baseball bat velocity. J Strength Cond Res 27(1): 216–222, 2013—The purpose of this study was to examine (a) the acute change in bat velocity (BV) following three types of warm-up procedures for baseball hitting (experiment 1), and (b) the effect of an 8-week training program of isometric contraction conditioning (ISO) on BV (experiment 2). In experiment 1, the BV of 24 collegiate baseball players was measured before and after one of the three warm-up procedures; five standard bat (mass = 850.5 g) dry swings (SBS), five weighted bat (mass = 850.5 g + 680.4 g) dry swings (WBS), and four sets of 5-second maximal voluntary isometric contractions mimicking the bat swing movement pattern (ISO). BV was measured just before ball–bat impact. Experiment 2 followed experiment 1 and used only the ISO warm-up. Twelve of the 24 subjects formed the experimental group and underwent an 8-week training program (3 days per week) of ISO training. Results of experiment 1 indicated (a) no significant change in post-SBS BV (−0.33 m·s−1), (b) a significant decrease in post-WBS BV (−0.89 m·s−1; p < 0.05), and (c) a significant increase in post-ISO BV (+0.39 m·s−1; p < 0.05). In experiment 2, there was a significant increase in baseline BV after the 8-week training period (30.21 ± 1.83 m·s−1 to 31.15 ± 1.57 m·s−1). A comparison of BV before and after ISO warm-up revealed that change was significantly greater after the training period (100.17 ± 3.18% vs. 103.75 ± 1.91%). Our results suggest that warm-up with WBS does not increase BV and that using the ISO has both acute and chronic positive effects on BV as a warm-up procedure to improve BV.

Disturbance in hitting accuracy by professional and collegiate baseball players due to intentional change of target position.

The present study investigated bat control of skilled baseball batters during tee batting, faced with an intentional change in target position. Twelve, skilled, male baseball players (M age = 24 yr., SD = 4) participated in the study. Participants were instructed to hit a baseball off a tee 0.8 m from the ground (Hitting condition), and also to deliberately swing just above the ball (Air Swing condition). The task for the participants was to perform, in alternate order, 15 swings at a real baseball on a stationary tee and 15 swings at an imaginary ball that was said to be on top of the real baseball. The participants were instructed to hit the ball toward center field just as they would hit in a game. While most participants could hit the real ball in the sweet area of the bat, only one participant did so in the Air Swing condition. Average distances from the center of the sweet area to ball center at the moment of ball-bat contact in the Air Swing condition (85 mm) were significantly greater than the distance in the Hitting condition (38 mm). The larger error in hitting an imaginary ball in the sweet area could be due to perceptual changes following the batters altered focus, expectation of a lack of contact, and/or lack of feedback from the swing. It was suggested that baseball batters should be aware of the possible error in hitting accurately when they intentionally shifted the target.

Relation Between Lift Force and Ball Spin for Different Baseball Pitches

Although the lift force (F(L)) on a spinning baseball has been analyzed in previous studies, no study has analyzed such forces over a wide variety of spins. The purpose of this study was to describe the relationship between F(L) and spin for different types of pitches thrown by collegiate pitchers. Four high-speed video cameras were used to record flight trajectory and spin for 7 types of pitches. A total of 75 pitches were analyzed. The linear kinematics of the ball was determined at 0.008-s intervals during the flight, and the resultant fluid force acting on the ball was calculated with an inverse dynamics approach. The initial angular velocity of the ball was determined using a custom-made apparatus. Equations were derived to estimate the F(L) using the effective spin parameter (ESp), which is a spin parameter calculated using a component of angular velocity of the ball with the exception of the gyro-component. The results indicate that F(L) could be accurately explained from ESp and also that seam orientation (4-seam or 2-seam) did not produce a uniform effect on estimating F(L) from ESp.

The Spin on a Baseball for Eight Different Pitches Thrown by an Elite Professional Pitcher

We analyzed the spin on a baseball pitched by a professional pitcher, who utilized eight distinct, different types of pitches in official league games. In the experiments he pitched each of the eight pitches twice from an official pitching mound to a catcher. The video image of the pitched baseball from just before until 500 milliseconds after ball release was taken with a high-speed video camera at a rate of 1,000 frames per second. A special apparatus was used to obtain the direction of spin axis and the spin rate. Both values varied considerably depending on the type of pitch. In the four kinds of pitches which were thrown with a grip similar to that of the four-seam fastball, ball spin was altered by changing the direction of spin axis and/or orientation of the seams. The other three kinds of pitches thrown with a grip different from that of the four-seam fastball. These pitches had a slower speed and/or slower spin rate than the four-seam fastball. Moreover, the subject was able to throw these different pitches without changing the throwing motion as viewed by a batter. Mastery of these skills is what made him an elite pitcher with a long career.

Baseball Hitting Accuracy and Contributing Factors

The purpose of this chapter is to discern the relationship between spatial accuracy, timing accuracy, and bat control and hitting accuracy for elite collegiate baseball batters. Nine college baseball batters performed three tasks. The first task was hitting a fastball thrown by a pitching machine (HPT). The second task was observing a pitching machine’s fastball and indicating the location (OPT). The third task was hitting a ball on a baseball tee (TBT). The subjects’ performance in hitting accuracy was defined by their success rate in the HPT. The distribution of the point of ball-bat impact in the TBT represented the subjects’ ability in the bat control. The fluctuations in the location in pitcher-to-catcher direction between the HPT and the TBT represented the subjects’ temporal accuracy. The subjects’ spatial accuracy was defined by their performance in the OPT. Although they were able to control their bat swings to hit a ball within the effective impact area most of the time in the Tee Ball Task, timing and spatial components of their performance indicated larger errors and lower precision. Our results suggest that the perceptual skills involved in baseball hitting are the main reason why batters fail to hit a ball accurately.