抄録
The fastball's spin rate affects the amount of drop length of pitched baseball. This study examined 1) baseball hitters' accuracy in hitting fastballs with different spin rate and 2) their bat control relating to spatial accuracy during hitting a baseball off a tee and 'imaginary' ball. Thirteen baseball players participated in this study. The first experiment confirmed that the increase in ball spin rate was positively correlated to the increase in the distance from the sweet spot of the bat to the ball. The second experiment confirmed that even experienced baseball hitters could not hit an 'imaginary' ball as accurately as actual baseball on the tee. These findings indicate that hitters' performance can be affected by the fastball's spin rate and it is difficult for them to swing above the actual ball intentionally in order to correct the gap between hitter's spatial cognition and actual ball location.
