Selection of optimal bat characteristics for maximizing the ability of baseball players

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 23300230
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Sports science
• Research Institution: Kobe University
• Principal Investigator: MAEDA Masato 神戸大学, 人間発達環境学研究科, 教授 (90209388)
• Project Period (FY): 2011-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: スポーツ科学 / 野球 / バット / 選定 / スイング速度

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The aim of this study was to elucidate the characteristics of bats used by baseball players and to evaluate the acceleration of the bat during the swing, the reproducibility of the impact point, and the effect of the bat’s mass and center of gravity on the swing. The participants were members of high school and university baseball clubs. Some university players showed high reproducibility in the acceleration pattern of their swing. The optimal bat characteristics could be determined for these players, but not for others whose swing was unstable. The variability of the impact point was greater in high school players than in university players, and it was thought that this variability was very sensitive to the characteristics of the bat. For some university players, the optimal bat characteristics could be derived from the reproducibility of the impact point.

Free Research Field

スポーツ科学