Effects of the practice swing with different bats in mass on bat swing speed

Abstract

The aims of the present study were to investigate speeds of swinging bat using different bats in mass and to examine the effects of the practice swing with different bats in mass on bat swing speed. Two-dimensional kinematics was measured in ten male collegiate baseball players who swung three different bats in mass; game bat（GB），training bat（TB）and fungo bat（FB）．Translational speed of the head of the bat（HS）and rotational speed of the bat（BS）and the body trunk were calculated from the experimental data. GB and FB showed significantly higher HS and BS than TB. HS of GB after the practice swing with FB was higher than HS of GB. RS of GB after the practice swing with TB or FB was higher than RS of GB. These results suggested that a practice swing with a light bat, which enhances bat swing speed effectively compared with a heavy bat, is an appropriate warming-up exercise for the next at bat