The Effect of Hitting Practice with A Bat Painted at The Sweet Spot on The Accuracy of Baseball Hitting

Abstract

In baseball hitting, it is very important to catch the ball accurately with the sweet spot of the bat, but training methods to improve hitting accuracy are unknown. The purpose of this study was to clarify the effect of hitting practice with a bat painted at the sweet spot on the accuracy of baseball hitting. Male college baseball players were divided into 8 training group (Tr) and 8 control group (Con). The Tr used bats with painted at the sweet spot, and the Con used bats without painted at the sweet spot. Both groups trained three times a week for a total of 12 sessions of 20 balls × 2 sets over a 4-week period. Hitting measurements were taken before and after training using an optical 3D motion analysis system. From the data obtained, the impact position (accuracy of hitting), swing velocity, and exit velocity were analyzed. The results showed that the Tr significantly improved in hitting accuracy and swing velocity. On the other hand, only exit velocity was significantly improved in the Con. These results suggest that hitting practice with a bat painted at the sweet spot improves hitting accuracy and swing velocity more than hitting practice using a normal bat.