Hitting a Baseball Needs the Brain

Dan Brooks

doi:10.3389/frym.2014.00020

Abstract

This may seem strange, but it is true: almost everything you do is controlled by your brain, even things you might not “think” about. For example, if you sit down to do some particularly difficult math homework, the parts of your brain that allow you to manipulate numbers and solve problems, like the prefrontal cortex, will be working in overdrive. But even for relatively “simple” things, like looking around the room and recognizing a table or a chair, is controlled by the activity of the brain, even if it is not something you have to think hard to do (Figure 1).

Highlights

We tend to think about sports and games as if they were physical activities that depend on strength and speed, and reading and math problems as if they were mental activities that depend on being brainy and smart
One interesting idea that has recently been discussed by Nicolas Schweighofer and colleagues is that the batting practice, which many players take before a game helps to fine tune these cerebellar circuits, so that the actions during the game are more repeatable [3]
How little time is “almost no time”? The average major league fastball gets to the plate in less than half a second

Summary

Introduction

We tend to think about sports and games as if they were physical activities that depend on strength and speed, and reading and math problems as if they were mental activities that depend on being brainy and smart. These reasons have to do with the fact that the baseball is moving very fast and, at the major league level, is being thrown by a pitcher who does not want it to get hit.

Results

Conclusion