Batting Performance Research Articles

Caffeinated chewing gum improves the batting and pitching performance of female softball players: a randomized crossover study.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of caffeinated chewing gum on female softball pitching and hitting performance in trained female softball fielders and pitchers. Twenty-four trained female softball players (10 pitchers and 14 fielders) were divided into a caffeine chewing gum trial (CAF) or a placebo trial (PLA) in a single-blind, randomized, crossover experimental design. Two pieces of gum containing 100 mg of caffeine (CAF) or without caffeine (PLA) were chewed for 10 minutes and then spit out, followed by a 15-minute warm-up. The physical tests included grip strength and countermovement jump (CMJ). The softball-specific tests included pitching or hitting. The two trials were separated by seven days. The CAF trial had significantly higher grip strength than the PAL trial in fielder (P=0.032, Cohen's d=0.29) and pitcher (P=0.016, Cohen's d=0.33). The height of CMJ in fielders was significantly higher in the CAF trial than in the PLA trial (P=0.015, Cohen's d=0.65) but not in pitchers (P=0.596, Cohen's d=0.15). The fielder's average and maximum batting exit speeds were significantly higher in the CAF trial than in the PLA trial (P<0.05). The average and max fastball speeds of the CAF trial were significantly higher than that of the PLA trial in pitchers (P<0.05). The study showed that chewing gum containing two pieces of gum containing 100 mg of caffeine effectively improved female softball fielder's batting performance and pitcher's pitching performance.

Strength, speed, and anthropometric predictors of in-game batting performance in baseball

ABSTRACT A key focus of sports science research is the identification of quantitative assessments that can predict players’ on-field performance and developmental potential. Despite efforts to establish predictive models, there are few validated measures that show reliable associations and large gaps in understanding. Here, we test a multidimensional battery of assessments developed through the USA Baseball, Prospect Development Pipeline that capture strength and functional movement abilities, and anthropometric characteristics, in a two-year cohort of collegiate baseball players from the Appalachian League. Swing propensity metrics for Zone Contact Percentage (ZCP: proportion pitches in strike zone swung at and hit) and Hard-Hit Percentage (HHP: proportion in-play balls with exit velocity ≥ 95 mph) were calculated on 189 players. Models testing hierarchical combinations of anthropometric and anthropometric plus assessment data were implemented using nested cross-validation with random forest and elastic net regression. Results indicate that anthropometric features account for 29% of variance in ZCP and 50–55% of HHP, while the addition of assessment contributed an additional 1–3% to ZCP and 5–12% to HHP, with top predictors coming from PDP strength and power assessments. These findings delineate contributions of andromorphic and physical abilities to in-game baseball performance using a validated assessment battery and advanced game statistics.

Reexamining the Association Between Preseason Challenge and Threat States and Performance Across the Season

Challenge and threat (C/T) states have been shown to predict sport performance under pressure. Nevertheless, only one study has examined whether preseason C/T states are associated with season-long performance, yielding promising findings. Despite promising findings, this work is not without limitations that warrant addressing. We aimed to address these limitations and contribute to the scarce literature which tests the effect of anticipatory C/T states on longer term performance. Thirty-eight amateur cricketers prepared and delivered two counterbalanced speeches: a control speech and a speech about an important cricket batting situation approximately 16 weeks prior to the start of their competitive season. Regression analysis showed that cardiovascular reactivity in anticipation of delivering a speech about an important cricket batting scenario the next season did not predict season-long batting performance. The findings have potential to challenge the role C/T states play in predicting longer term performance in the sport domain.

An Examination of the Challenge/Threat State and Sport-Performance Relationship While Controlling for Past Performance.

A challenge state is associated with superior performance compared to a threat state in a variety of performance domains (e.g.,sport, aviation, education). However, in the challenge and threat (C/T) literature, between-subjects variability in past performance is often inconsistently controlled for. Here, we aimed to investigate the effects of C/T states on performance using two methods to control for past performance. Experiment 1 used previous performance statistics in a between-subjects design and Experiment 2 used a within-subject design. In Experiment 1, regression analysis showed that cardiovascular correlates of C/T states predicted cricket batting performance in 45 amateur cricketers. In Experiment 2, between- and within-subject analysis found that past performance was the only predictor of subsequent golf putting performance in 40 noncompetitive golfers. Taken together, the findings challenge the role that C/T states play in predicting performance under pressure after controlling for past performance.

Modeling joint survival probabilities of runs scored and balls faced in limited overs cricket using copulas

In limited overs cricket, the goal of a batsman is to score a maximum number of runs within a limited number of balls. Therefore, the number of runs scored and the number of balls faced are the two key statistics used to evaluate the performance of a batsman. In cricket, as the batsmen play as pairs, having longer partnerships is also key to building strong innings. Moreover, having a steady opening partnership is extremely important as a team aims to build such a stronger innings. In this study, we have shown a way to evaluate the performance of opening partnerships in Twenty20 (T20) cricket and the performance of individual batsmen in One Day International Cricket (ODI) by modeling the joint distribution of runs scored and balls faced using copula functions. The joint survival probabilities derived from this approach are then used to evaluate the batting performance of opening partnerships and individual batsmen for different stages of the innings. Results of the study have shown that cricket managers and team officials can use the proposed method in selecting appropriate partnership pairs and individual batsmen in an efficient manner for specific situations in the match.

An Analysis Of In-game Collegiate Baseball Hitting Performance Following Sports Vision Training

Vision training (VT) programs can be utilized to enhance perception and eye-hand coordination to potentially improve sports performance. There is general support for VT improving athletic performance, but limited research is present for in-game performance improvements, particularly for collegiate baseball. PURPOSE: To evaluate for potential benefits of a VT program on collegiate baseball team hitting performance. If beneficial, VT may be used to supplement standard baseball practice to further improve hitting performance. METHODS: The Northwestern College (NWC) varsity baseball team, a member of the NAIA Greater Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC), performed VT exercises including Brock string, King-Devick test for saccades, long-distance saccades, and near-far training in 18 sessions during the 2019 season. In-game hitting statistics for the 2018 and 2019 seasons were retrospectively collected for all GPAC teams. Two-proportion z-tests were used to compare batting average and slugging percentage between NWC and the GPAC during the 2018 and 2019 seasons. RESULTS: The overall win-loss record of NWC was 30-20 in 2018 (1st place) and 23-25 in 2019 (6th place). Three starting hitters from the 2018 team remained on the team for the 2019 season. The 2018 GPAC batting average was .280 and NWC’s was 6th in the conference at .288 (p = .261). The 2019 GPAC batting average was .281 and NWC led the conference at .304 (p = .034). Batting averages for the GPAC and NWC did not differ between the 2018-19 seasons (p = .417 and p = .171, respectively). The 2018 GPAC slugging percentage was .388 and NWC was 3rd in the conference at .423 (p = .005). The 2019 GPAC slugging percentage was .393 and NWC was 2nd in the conference at .435 (p = .001). The slugging percentages for the GPAC and NWC did not differ between the 2018-19 seasons (p = .233 and p = .261, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The team batting average was significantly better than the conference average during the season with VT despite losing six starting hitters from the prior season. These differences were not observed in the season before VT. Slugging percentage improved only minimally with VT. These outcomes suggest that VT may improve the in-game batting performance of collegiate baseball players and confirm previous research on the effects of VT on collegiate baseball hitting.

Measuring batting performance and strategic behavior of batters of cricket players

I want to propose two methods separately for investigating cricket players' strategic behavior &#x0D; and quantifying their performance. Over the years, researchers have made significant progress &#x0D; in strategy investigation and performance evaluation of cricket players. Still, researchers have &#x0D; barely researched strategic behavior change when players score near landmarks (score 50 or &#x0D; 100), and the current performance index is not accurate enough for quantifying players' &#x0D; performance. Considering limitations appearing in related work, I would put extra effort into &#x0D; furtherly investigating players' strategic behaviors when their score nears landmarks and derive &#x0D; a more accurate performance index to quantify players' performance. The final project will help &#x0D; amateurs understand whether individual incentives influence players' strategic behavior, and &#x0D; clubs can use an improved performance index to gain commercial benefits by identifying and &#x0D; recruiting eminent cricket players.

An integrated batting performance analytics model for women’s cricket using Principal Component Analysis and Gini scores

Over the years, women cricketers have garnered little media or societal attention. There has been much research on men’s cricket but relatively little on women’s cricket. This study aims to quantify women’s batting performances in one-day international (ODI) matches. The average batting score has traditionally been used in cricket to determine a batter’s worth. However, ranking by simple average ignores two important factors in ODI matches: consistency and strike rates. To address these issues, we propose a novel methodology for calculating ranks that incorporates Gini-based average scores rather than simple averages and considers batting strike rates in a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) framework. As a result, PCA combined with Gini scores can assist cricket fans, coaches, and managers in better understanding a player’s performance.

A multi-criteria approach for evaluating major league baseball batting performance

The evaluation of player performance typically involves a number of criteria representing various aspects of performance that are of interest. Pareto optimality and weighted aggregation are useful tools to simultaneously evaluate players with respect to the multiple criteria. In particular, the Pareto approach allows trade-offs among the criteria to be compared, does not require specifications of weighting schemes, and is not sensitive to the scaling of the criteria. The Pareto optimal players can be scored according to their ranks or according to their distance from the global optimum for informative comparisons of performance or for evaluating trade-offs among the criteria. These multi-criteria approaches are defined and illustrated for evaluating batting performance of Major League Baseball players.

A Study of Batting out-of-form in One-Day International Cricket

When a batter scores low in a series of innings, lack of self-confidence generated as a result coupled with poor batting strategies may lead to scoring even lower in the immediately preceding innings. In a team game like Cricket, the out-of-form status of a batter may affect the outcome of the game. This motivated us to explore a statistical method to detect batting inconsistency of a batter in Cricket. One-sided Exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) control chart was employed due to its evident capability in rapid detection of upward or downward changes in the process mean. The analysis of this study considered ODI batters, who were engaged in the sport during the past decade belonging to seven different cricket nations. An observation of out-of-control state in a control chart was recognized as a batter experiencing an out-of-form performance phase and basic sensitizing rules were utilized to detect non-random and unnatural variation which were explained as warning signals of batting inconsistency. As a demonstration of the proposed method, EWMA control charts of a few popular batters were presented and analyzed which revealed some interesting findings related to their ODI career performance. When an occurrence of a clear downward sequence was detected in the control chart, it was decided that the batter has been out-of-form during that phase. The proposed method can be utilized to dynamically evaluate career batting performance through detection of out-of-form status of batsmen using their recent past scores and this would facilitate effective player selection for the next game.

An Investigation of Survival Abilities of Opening Batsmen in One-Day International Cricket

This paper quantifies the survival abilities of openers in one-day international cricket matches to fulfill the ultimate goal of analyzing the batting performance of Sri Lankan openers in Cricket World Cup 2019. An inconsistent opening batting performance in one-day cricket could have a negative impact on the match result and it could be one of the reasons for the current downfall of Sri Lankan cricket team. Survival abilities were investigated based on two aspects: number of balls faced till dismissal and strike rate at dismissal. Performances of Sri Lankan openers were evaluated and compared with that of the openers of other teams in Cricket World Cup 2019 through smooth estimated survival functions and hazard functions. Survival abilities of past Sri Lankan openers were also evaluated. Impact of opening batting performance on the match result was investigated through a novel measure: Total Hazard. Results indicate that survival abilities of Sri Lankan openers in Cricket World Cup 2019 are low compared to the openers of other teams and past Sri Lankan openers are more reliable and consistent. It is also found that there is an impact of opening batting performance on the match result. Hence, opening batting performance should be strengthened to rectify the current downfall of Sri Lankan cricket.

The Effects of Concussions on Batting Performance in Major League Baseball Players: A Critically Appraised Topic.

Clinical Scenario: The impact of concussion in baseball athletes is far reaching although typically less studied than collision sports. The neuromotor sequelae of these injuries can have lasting effects on the high level of coordination needed in baseball skills. In professional athletes, the long-term effects of concussion combined with the high demands for performance can potentially shorten athletes' careers. Clinical Question: Do Major League Baseball players who have had a concussion compared with those with no history of concussions have decreased batting performance after they return to full participation? Summary of Key Findings: Seven articles meeting criteria for level 2 evidence were identified in this critically appraised topic. Four of 7 studies found deficits in batting performance following concussion. However, the 3 studies that did not identify differences lacked a comparative control group. Clinical Bottom Line: Evidence supports a relationship between concussion and decreased batting performance. This suggests there is a demand for screening and rehabilitation strategies aimed at improving sport-specific neuromotor and coordination skills in these individuals. Strength of Recommendation: Collectively, the body of evidence included to answer the clinical question aligns with the strength of recommendation of B.

Oculomotor Behavior Predict Professional Cricket Batting and Bowling Performance.

Importance: A new, shorter version of cricket was introduced recently (Twenty20; T20). Since its inception, T20 cricket has rapidly become a popular and exciting format of cricket. However, there is little understanding of factors such as visual-motor control that influence expert performance.Objective: The purpose of this project is to determine if a series of oculomotor measures can predict batting and bowling performance in professional cricket players.Design: This study used a cross-sectional design. Each participant took part in a suite of eye-tracking tests to measure oculomotor behavior compared to their performance data.Participants: This study used a sample of 59 male T20 league professional cricket players (30 Bowlers and 29 Batsman).Results: One-way univariate analyses of variance examined the differences in oculomotor behavior between batsman and bowlers. A series of multiple regression analyses was conducted to evaluate how well the visual variables predict bowling and batting performance variables. Results demonstrate that several oculomotor eye tracking measures were good predictors of run performance and strike rate, including sports total score, sports on-field score, and sports functional score. Likewise, several of the same metrics predicted Runs and Wicket performance for bowlers. Overall, results provided further validation to a growing body of literature supporting the use of eye-tracking technology in performance evaluation.

The Acute Effects From the Use of Weighted Implements on Skill Enhancement in Sport: A Systematic Review.

Jermyn, S, Neill, CO, and Coughlan, EK. The acute effects from the use of weighted implements on skill enhancement in sport: A systematic review. J Strength Cond Res 35(10): 2922-2935, 2021-Weighted implements are used before competitive performance with the aim of enhancing motor skill execution on return to the standard implement. The purpose of this review was to analyze the existing literature pertaining to the acute effects of weighted implements on respective sporting performance. Following a systematic screening process, 25 studies were identified. This review highlighted the effects of (a) weighted balls and bats on throwing and batting performance and (b) indoor weight throw implements on indoor weight throw performance. Studies reported conflicting effects on immediate performance post-warm-up with the respective implements. Notably, although overweighted bats and overweight attachments are a prominent preparatory tool in baseball, this review found consistent and repeated evidence of degraded batting performance in striking-based studies. Decreased bat velocity, altered swing patterns, subjective-objective mismatches of bat speed and weight, temporal accuracy errors, and inadequate recalibration to the standard bat were identified as acute effects. This review identified an obvious dearth of research into the acute effects of weighted implements on motor skills in other sports with equally complex perceptual motor patterns, such as football (soccer), golf, rugby, basketball, and American football. Future weighted implement research should investigate the acute effects of respective implements on motor skill performance in other sports, such as those aforementioned, with the purpose of exploring relevant implications for preparatory strategies and immediate performance on return to the standard implement.

A probabilistic approach to identifying run scoring advantage in the order of playing cricket

In the game of cricket, the decision to bat first after winning the toss is often taken to make the best use of superior pitch conditions and set a big target for the opponent. However, the opponent may fail to show their natural batting performance in the second innings due to several factors, including deteriorated pitch conditions and excessive pressure of chasing a high target score. The advantage of batting first has been highlighted in the literature and expert opinions. However, the effect of batting and bowling order on match outcome has not been investigated well enough to recommend an adjustment of potential bias. This study proposes a probability-based model to study venue-specific scoring and chasing characteristics of teams with different match outcomes. A total of 1117 one-day international cricket matches held in ten popular venues are analyzed to show substantially high scoring likelihood when the winning team bat in the first innings. In a high scoring match, results suggest that the same bat-first winning team is very unlikely to score or chase the same high score if they bat in the second innings. We use the Bayesian rule to identify the bias in the scoring likelihood due to the playing order (bat-first versus bat-second). The bias is adjusted by revising the second innings target in a way that equalizes winning and run scoring likelihoods of both teams. The data and source code have been shared publicly for future research in creating competitive match outcomes by eliminating the advantage of batting order in run scoring.

Visuomotor predictors of batting performance in baseball players.

Hitting a baseball, one of the most difficult skills in all of sports, requires complex hand-eye coordination, but its link with basic visuomotor capabilities remains largely unknown. Here we examined basic visuomotor skills of baseball players and demographically matched nonathletes by measuring their ocular-tracking and manual-control performance. We further investigated how these two capabilities relate to batting performance in baseball players. Compared to nonathletes, baseball players showed better ocular-tracking and manual-control capabilities, which remain unchanged with increasing baseball experience. Both, however, become more correlated with batting accuracy with increasing experience. Ocular-tracking performance is predictive of batting skill, accounting for ≥ 70% of the variance in batting performance across players with ≥ 10 years of experience. A simple linear additive-noise cascade model with shared front-end visual noise that limits batting performance can explain many of our results. Our findings show that fundamental visuomotor capabilities can predict the complex, learned skill of baseball batting.

Big Data Analysis for the Relationship between a Catcher's Batting Performance and Average Daily Temperature in Baseball Games

Background/Objectives: This study utilizes big data analysis to investigate whether the average daily temperature affects the batting performance of catchers. Methods/Statistical analysis: The targets of the study are the batting records, by date, of catchers who participated in the 2019 KBO League, and the average daily temperature in the region where baseball games are played. To this end, data was collected from the official website of the KBO League and the Weather Data Open Portal. The data suitable for this study was then pre-processed, and then output as visualization data for scouting reports through the analysis. Findings: As a result of this study, a higher average daily temperature was found to affect the batting performance of catchers. However, above 15 degrees, both batting power and hitting productivity began to decrease, and above 20 degrees, hitting accuracy began to decrease. The reason for this is that a player in the position of catcher has a lot of physical strength due to a lot of equipment and hard play. Through this study, we can see that the myths and stories told in the baseball field can be proven through data. Through the data and implications derived from this study, it is expected that the scouting reports will help the players, coaching staff, and the front of the baseball club's players to operate the games and the season. Improvements/Applications: In less than thirty words, this research makes it possible to write about the results of the improved research and other applications.

Validity of baseball batting performance evaluation using a simple measurement device

Validity of baseball batting performance evaluation using a simple measurement device

Sources of information pick-up for anticipation by skilled cricket batsmen

This study investigated whether skilled West Indian cricket batsmen could use contextual and kinematic information to anticipate the type of ball being bowled. Thirty-one participants were recruited that formed first class (n = 10), elite club (n = 10), and elite youth representative (n = 11) groups. Each group completed a video temporal occlusion batting test under two conditions. Condition one presented bowler kinematic information; that is, occlusion occurred at back-foot, front-foot, and ball release, with a no occlusion control. Condition two presented game contextual information in the form of field placings that was congruent with the ball types prior to temporal occlusion trials. Results revealed no significant skill group differences in the timing of information pick-up under kinematic or contextual conditions. Prediction accuracy for all skill groups was at guessing level at each temporal occlusion that presented kinematic information, but was above chance at no occlusion. Prediction accuracy for all skill groups increased to above guessing level at advance cue temporal occlusions when contextual information was provided. Findings indicate that this group of skilled batsmen did not use kinematic information for anticipation in this temporal occlusion task, but relied heavily upon contextual information. An implication of this study is that skilled batsmen should be targeted for visual-perceptual training to pick-up contextual and kinematic information to guard against deception from the latter that can negatively impact batting performance.

Application of analogy learning in softball batting: Comparing novice and intermediate players.

Thisfield-based study developed and implemented analogy instructions for softballbatting, and examined batting performance outcomes. A focus-group discussioninvolving a coach and a number of team captains of a collegiate-level softball teamidentified the typical instructions used for batting (i.e., explicit) and developed ananalogy instruction that combined these rules in 1 biomechanical metaphor (i.e.,swing your bat like you are breaking a tree in front of you with an axe). A total of40 collegiate-level club players (20 novices and 20 intermediates) were assigned toeither an analogy learning or an explicit learning group and took part in 6 trainingsessions. Batting performance was assessed using a standardized criteria-basedrating scale in single-task pretest and posttest, and a dual-task test after training.The findings show that the novice, but not the intermediate players, displayedsignificant improvements in batting performance after training. Novices who re-ceived the analogy instruction displayed stable batting performance in the dual-tasktest, but novices who received explicit instructions, and intermediate players whoreceived the analogy instruction, displayed batting performance decrements. Thefindings suggest that the benefits of analogy instructions are evident only innovices; learners’ previous experiences must, therefore, be carefully consideredwhen developing coaching programs.