Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between angular velocity of the bat and movements of upper limbs. Nine hitters performed free-batting practice. An electromagnetic tracking device was used to record three dimensional kinematic data of the thorax, the humerus and the forearm of the both side and the bat. The results showed that sequential rotation, in order of the thorax, the shoulder, the elbow and forearm, was observed on the lead arm for all subjects. All joint range of motion on the push arm were larger than that on the lead arm. There was a significant correlation between swing angular velocity and shoulder range of motion for horizontal abduction on the lead arm. No correlation was founded between the rolling angular velocity and body movements, indicating that the magunitude of the rolling angular velocity is not associated with the range of each joint motion and the timing of sequential action.
