Hand muscles activity affecting disturbances in timing control of ball release

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K17799
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 59020:Sports sciences-related
• Research Institution: Kitasato University
• Principal Investigator: Nagami Tomoyuki 北里大学, 一般教育部, 准教授 (10634371)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 投球 / イップス / 手指 / 筋活動 / 野球 / 局所性ジストニア

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The "throwing yips," the inability to throw a baseball pitch accurately, is well known. In this project, we conducted to clarify the delicate timing control of ball release and the muscle activity dynamics of the hand muscle group involved in the disorder. As a result, there were individual differences in pitching motion by yips players, such as those whose ball trajectory for release varied greatly, and those whose trajectory itself was almost constant but the timing of release varied. The possibility of identifying the causative action and the causative muscle of the yips has increased.

Free Research Field

スポーツバイオメカニクス

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究で得られた成果は、投球イップスを訴える選手の筋活動の乱れを特定することにつながるだけでなく、正確なボールコントロール技術の獲得に向けたトレーニング法策定、経頭蓋直流電気・磁気刺激療法を含めた投球イップスの改善法策定など、競技パフォーマンスの向上に繋がる重要な知見を得られるものと考える。