A-10 Relationship between ball control and movements of hand and fingers in baseball pitchers
Details
Pitch control is an important skill for baseball pitchers. In the present study, we investigated the relationship between pitch control and the movements of hand and fingers during ball release. Four collegiate baseball pitchers threw 30 pitches from the mound of official height as fast and accurate as possible to a catcher. The motions of hand, fingers, and ball were recorded using three high-speed cameras. The other high-speed camera was used to record the motion of the catcher. Hand angle at the ball release in the plane, made by pitcher-catcher and vertical directions, was closely correlated with vertical component of ball position at the catcher (p<0.001). In conclusion, it was suggested that pitching a baseball into the strike zone requires a pitcher to complete the ball release within the time accuracy of 1-2 msec.
