The purpose of this study was to analyze three-dimensionally two groups of baseball strikers, i.e. high and low swing speed groups, and to compare the kinematics of their upper limb motion. Sixteen skilled male strikers were videotaped with two synchronized high-speed video cameras operating at 200 Hz. One trial in which the maximum bat head speed was achieved was selected for each subject and digitized to obtain three-dimensional coordinates of the segment end-points and the bat using a DLT technique. Subjects were divided into High (n=8) and Low (n=8) groups according to the bat head speed. The angles compared between the two groups were abduction-adduction, horizontal abduction-adduction, flexion-extension and internal-external rotation for both shoulders, flexion-extension for both elbows, supination-pronation for both forearms, radius-ulnar flexion, and dorsi-palmar flexion for both hands. The sequential data were normalized with the time from the point when the speed of the grip was over 3 m/s to the ball impact, and then averaged.
1 Angles of elbow extension, forearm supination of the top arm, and ulnar flexion of both hands were much changed. However, the angles of both shoulder joints, bottom elbow and bottom forearm showed little change.
2. The High group showed significantly larger shoulder adduction and horizontal adduction of a bottom arm than the Low group in 0–10% time and 50–70% time (p<0.05). The High group showed significantly smaller top elbow extension than the Low group in 40–70% time and 90–100% time (p<0.05).
3. The High group showed significantly smaller top hand supination than the Low group in 100% time. In the time, the High group showed significantly larger bottom forearm pronation than the Low group in 50–70% time (p<0.05). The High group showed significantly larger dorsiflexion of the bottom hand than the Low group in 20–30% time (p<0.05).
