The purpose of this study of baseball players was to clarify: 1) step characteristics during the 30-m sprint with reference to step type, and 2) the characteristics of individuals with faster 30-m sprint times for each step type. The subjects were 62 male university baseball players (age 20.3 ± 1.0 years, body height 1.73 ± 0.05 m, body weight 69.6 ± 6.7 kg). All the subjects ran a 30-m sprint dash, and their time was measured every 10 m and 30 m. Running speed, step frequency (SF), and step length (SL) were calculated every 10 m and 30 m. Cluster analysis was used to classify the subjects according to step type, according to the ratio of SF to SL. In addition, each step type group was divided into 2 sub-groups (good and poor players) according to the mean 30-m time. The main results were as follows: 1) the baseball players were classified into 3 step type groups: SL-type (n = 20), SF-type (n = 8), and Mid-type (n = 34). There was a difference in the step characteristics between the 3 step types during the 30-m sprint. 2) In SL- and Mid-types, the SF, SL, and SL index were higher in good players than in poor players. In SL-type, the SF index was higher in good players than in poor players. These results indicate that: 1) there were differences in step characteristics among step types, and 2) among baseball players with faster 30-m sprint times, higher SL and SF were associated with the SL- and Mid-types. The characteristics were influenced by functional factors of the lower limbs, and not by morphological factors. These findings could be useful for devising training methods that would improve the sprint performance of baseball players according to their step type.
