Visual Search Strategies in Baseball Batting

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to examine visual search strategies employed by batters during a pitcher's pre-release motion. Eye movement, response time, and response accuracy were measured and analyzed while subjects were asked to observe images of pitches thrown by a pitcher edited using spatial occlusion techniques and to press a pushbutton switch when they decided to swing the bat. The results showed that the batters gazed at the pitcher's pitching wrist, elbow, and arm during the final period. When the pitcher's pitching arm was selectively occluded, the response time was significantly delayed compared with when the pitcher's other body parts were occluded. The findings suggest the importance of strategies for acquiring visual cues for batting by watching a pitcher's pitching arm during the final period. When the pitching wrist and wrist plus elbow were selectively presented during the final period, the response time was significantly delayed compared with when the pitcher's pitching wrist plus elbow plus arm, upper body, and lower body were shown. These results indicate that experts set their visual pivot on the pitcher's elbow and predict cues of the pitching arm from the whole pitcher's motion.