Fast Ball Research Articles

Fastball Quality After Ulnar Collateral Ligament Reconstruction in Major League Baseball Pitchers

Background: The ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) is essential for elbow stability during pitching. In professional baseball, the fastball (FB) is the most commonly used pitch, making postrecovery FB performance after UCL reconstruction (UCLR) a crucial aspect to consider. Hypotheses: (1) Pitchers undergoing UCLR would show no significant changes in performance metrics compared with nonoperated pitchers with similar FB velocity and spin rate, and (2) no significant variance would be found in these metrics within the operated pitchers concerning their preinjury anthropometric characteristics and pitching performance metrics. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: The study included 91 Major League Baseball (MLB) pitchers who underwent primary UCLR between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2021. A matched 1:1 control group of MLB pitchers without UCLR injuries was established. Publicly available pitch metrics and anthropometric data were compared between the study and control groups. Results: Disparities in several performance metrics emerged during the first postreturn year (PRY1), including FB use percentage (P = .029), fielder independent pitching (FIP) (P = .021), and standardized FB runs above average per 100 pitches (wFB/C) (P < .001). Subgroup analysis within the UCLR group revealed a negative correlation between presurgery mean FB velocity and its subsequent change (P < .001) and a positive correlation with changes in FIP (P = .025) from the index year to PRY1. A negative correlation was observed between FB use percentage in the index year and its change by PRY1 (P = .002). By the second postreturn year, no significant differences were found in these performance metrics. No factors were significantly related to prolonged recovery time. Conclusion: Although FB velocity and spin rate remained consistent, significant differences were observed in FB use percentage, FIP, and wFB/C in PRY1. However, by second postreturn year, these differences were no longer significant. No specific risk factors were identified concerning prolonged recovery time between pre-UCLR FB pitching metrics and the physical anthropometric data. These results suggest that although the short-term postsurgery period may affect more specialized pitching metrics, the basic pitching performance metrics, as hypothesized, remain largely unaffected by UCLR.

Pitch-Tracking Metrics as a Predictor of Future Shoulder and Elbow Injuries in Major League Baseball Pitchers: A Machine-Learning and Game-Theory Based Analysis.

Understanding interactions between multiple risk factors for shoulder and elbow injuries in Major League Baseball (MLB) pitchers is important to identify potential avenues by which risk can be reduced while minimizing impact on player performance. To apply a novel game theory-based approach to develop a machine-learning model predictive of next-season shoulder and elbow injuries in MLB pitchers and use this model to understand interdependencies and interaction effects between the most important risk factors. Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3. Pitcher demographics, workload measures, pitch-tracking metrics, and injury data between 2017 and 2022 were used to construct a database of MLB pitcher-years, where each item in the database corresponded to a pitcher's information and metrics for that year. An extreme gradient boosting machine-learning model was trained to predict next-season shoulder and elbow injuries utilizing Shapley additive explanation values to quantify feature importance as well as interdependencies and interaction effects between predictive variables. A total of 3808 pitcher-years were included in this analysis; 606 (15.9%) of these involved a shoulder or elbow injury resulting in placement on the MLB injured list. Of the >65 candidate features (including workload, demographic, and pitch-tracking metrics), the most important contributors to predicting shoulder/elbow injury were increased: pitch velocity (all pitch types), utilization of sliders (SLs), fastball (FB) spin rate, FB horizontal movement, and player age. The strongest game theory interaction effects were that higher FB velocity did not alter a younger pitcher's predicted risk of shoulder/elbow injury versus older pitchers, risk of shoulder/elbow injury increased with the number of high-velocity pitches thrown (regardless of pitch type and in an additive fashion), and FB velocity <95 mph (<152.9 kph) demonstrated strong negative interaction effects with higher SL percentage, suggesting that the overall predicted risk of injury for pitchers throwing a high number of SLs could be attenuated by lower FB velocity. Pitch-tracking metrics were substantially more predictive of future injury than player demographics and workload metrics. There were many significant game theory interdependencies of injury risk. Notably, the increased risk of injury that was conferred by throwing with a high velocity was even further magnified if the pitchers were also older, threw a high percentage of SLs, and/or threw a greater number of pitches.

Sustainable mechanochemical synthesis of catalytically graphitized mesoporous carbons

So far it is difficult to achieve both a high graphitization degree and uniform mesopores in carbons, especially via a sustainable synthesis approach. This work shows that mesoporous graphitized carbons predominantly composed of amorphous and/or partially graphitic carbon nanotubes can be obtained by a simple mechanochemical synthesis using tannins as carbon precursors, iron salt as a graphitization catalyst and block copolymer as a soft template. The one-pot synthesis relied on the fast ball milling of a Pluronic-type template, tannins, and iron salt, followed by the direct thermal treatment at a certain temperature (e.g., 750 °C) leading to mesoporous carbons with a high degree of graphitization (up to 75%), high specific surface areas up to 360 m2/g, and large mesopore volumes up to 0.40 cm3/g. Moreover, the procedure can be extended for the synthesis of highly porous activated carbons with uniform mesoporosity by adding potassium oxalate to the milling system. The procedure afforded activated mesoporous carbons with substantially uniform mesopores of about 7.7 nm, a high specific surface area of 1100 m2/g, a large pore volume of 0.84 cm3/g, and enhanced CO2 adsorption capacity up to 4.0 mmol/g at ambient conditions. This synthetic approach offers advantages in terms of scalability, simplicity, and reduced environmental impact in comparison to traditional synthesis methods.

AI-Based Automatic System for Assessing Upper-Limb Spasticity of Patients With Stroke Through Voluntary Movement.

Spasticity is a common complication for patients with stroke, but only few studies investigate the relation between spasticity and voluntary movement. This study proposed a novel automatic system for assessing the severity of spasticity (SS) of four upper-limb joints, including the elbow, wrist, thumb, and fingers, through voluntary movements. A wearable system which combined 19 inertial measurement units and a pressure ball was proposed to collect the kinematic and force information when the participants perform four tasks, namely cone stacking (CS), fast flexion and extension (FFE), slow ball squeezing (SBS), and fast ball squeezing (FBS). Several time and frequency domain features were extracted from the collected data, and two feature selection approaches based on recursive feature elimination were adopted to select the most influential features. The selected features were input into five machine learning techniques for assessing the SS for each joint. The results indicated that using CS task to assess the SS of elbow and fingers and using FBS task to assess the SS of thumb and wrist can reach the highest weighted-average F1-score. Furthermore, the study also concluded that FBS is the optimal task for assessing all the four upper-limb joints. The overall result shown that the proposed automatic system can assess four upper-limb joints through voluntary movements accurately, which is a breakthrough of finding the relation between spasticity and voluntary movement.

Prediction of Spasticity through Upper Limb Active Range of Motion in Stroke Survivors: A Generalized Estimating Equation Model.

We aim to study the association between spasticity and active range of motion (ROM) during four repetitive functional tasks such as cone stacking (CS), fast flexion-extension (FFE), fast ball squeezing (FBS), and slow ball squeezing (SBS), and predicted spasticity models. An experimental study with control and stroke groups was conducted in a Medical Center. A total of sixty-four participants, including healthy control (n = 22; average age (years) = 54.68 ± 9.63; male/female = 12/10) and chronic stroke survivors (n = 42; average age = 56.83 ± 11.74; male/female = 32/10) were recruited. We employed a previously developed smart glove device mounted with multiple inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensors on the upper limbs of healthy and chronic stroke individuals. The recorded ROMs were used to predict subjective spasticity through generalized estimating equations (GEE) for the affected side. The models have significant (p ≤ 0.05 *) prediction of spasticity for the elbow, thumb, index, middle, ring, and little fingers. Overall, during SBS and FFE activities, the maximum number of upper limb joints attained the greater average ROMs. For large joints, the elbow during CS and the wrist during FFE have the highest average ROMs, but smaller joints and the wrist have covered the highest average ROMs during FFE, FBS, and SBS activities. Thus, it is concluded that CS can be used for spasticity assessment of the elbow, FFE for the wrist, and SBS, FFE, and FBS activities for the thumb and finger joints in chronic stroke survivors.

Can golfers choose low-risk routes in steep putting based on visual feedback of ball trajectory?

This study aims to clarify why the aiming method in golf putting in risky situations differs based on skill level. This study set up a difficult challenge (steep slopes and fast ball rolling greens), which required even professional golfers to change their aim. A total of 12 tour professionals and 12 intermediate amateurs were asked to perform a steep-slope task with no visual feedback of outcomes (no FB) followed by a task with visual feedback (with FB). The aim of the task was for the ball to enter the hole in one shot. Additionally, the participants were told that if the ball did not enter the hole, it was to at least stop as close to it as possible. The participant's aim (as an angle) and the kinematics of the putter head and ball were measured. The results indicated that professionals' highest ball trajectory points were significantly higher than that of amateurs, especially with FB. Additionally, professionals had higher ball-launch angles (the direction of the ball when the line connecting the ball and the center of the hole is 0 degrees) and lower peak putter head velocities than amateurs. Furthermore, the aim angle, indicating the golfer's decision-making, was higher for professionals under both conditions. However, even with FB, the amateurs' aim angles were lower and the difference between trials was smaller than that of professionals. Therefore, this study confirmed that the professionals made more drastic changes to their aim to find low-risk routes than the amateurs and that the amateurs' ability to adjust their aim was lower than that of professionals. The results suggest that the reason for the amateurs' inability to find low-risk routes lies in their decision-making. The professionals found better routes; however, there were individual differences in their routes.

The effects of relative trunk rotation velocity on ball speed and elbow and shoulder joint torques during baseball pitching

ABSTRACT In baseball pitching, suppressing trunk rotation while rotating the pelvis in the early phase of arm cocking is important for throwing a fast ball. However, quantitative evaluation of trunk rotation during pitching has not been established, and its associations with elbow and shoulder torques are unclear. The purpose of this study was to examine the correlation of a new measure of trunk rotation suppression with ball speed and elbow and shoulder torques during pitching. Eighteen adult male baseball pitchers (21.7 ± 1.2 years old) participated. Three qualified pitches were analysed using a three-dimensional motion capture system. Trunk rotation velocity, normalised to the peak velocity, was derived at the time of peak pelvic velocity. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to determine correlations. The normalised trunk rotation velocity at the peak pelvic velocity was significantly correlated with elbow valgus torque (R = −0.508, P = 0.032), shoulder external rotation torque (R = −0.507, P = 0.032) and ball speed (R = −0.504, P = 0.033). A smaller normalised trunk rotation angular velocity at the time of peak pelvic rotation velocity could increase ball speed but may also increase elbow and shoulder torques among pitchers who demonstrate trunk rotation after foot contact.

Virtual reality modulates the control of upper limb motion in one-handed ball catching.

There remains a question about whether and to what extent perception–action coupled response in virtual reality are equal/unequal to those in the real world or physical reality. The purpose of this study was to identify the differences in the environmental effect of virtual presentation on the motor responses of a one-handed ball catching. Thirteen healthy participants were instructed to catch an approaching ball projected at three speeds in a real laboratory room and in a room-sized virtual reality system (CAVE) that simulated those real situations with two- or three-dimensional display settings. The results showed that the arm movement time, which denotes the duration of arm-raising motion (shoulder flexion), was significantly longer in the virtual reality than that in the physical reality at the fast ball speed condition. The shoulder flexion velocities, calculated as the average angular velocity of shoulder flexion over the arm movement time, were significantly lower in the virtual reality than in the physical reality at the medium and fast ball speed conditions. The electromyography onsets, derived from anterior deltoid, biceps brachii, and flexor carpi radialis muscles of the catching arm, appeared before and significantly closer to the initiation of arm raising in the two-dimensional virtual reality than both in the physical reality and in the three-dimensional virtual reality. The findings suggest that simulation of virtual reality may induce a modulation in the motor responses of the catching arm, which is different from natural motion that appeared in the real world. On the contrary, the effect of ball speed generally found in real setting was maintained in the current CAVE experiment.

UPAYA MENINGKATKAN KEBERANIAN PESERTA DIDIK DALAM MENERIMA SMASH DENGAN CARA TEKNIK LATIHAN LEMPAR BOLA

The ball toss practice method is a training method that develops the courage to receive the ball. The practice method is for the coach to throw the ball at the student at normal speed or increase the speed level. Students need to embrace the ball toss to get used to receiving a fast ball and hitting the ball hard. This happens regularly with all exercises and as the level increases. Based on the identification of problems encountered in conducting volleyball game activities, does ball-throwing practice increase students' courage to take smashes while playing volleyball? Based on a survey conducted on class XI students of Bantarkalong Vocational High School, we can conclude that: Student enthusiasm is high because student learning activities become more interesting. Cycle I activities show that students are not yet fully active and there are still deficiencies that need to be addressed, but in Cycles II and III students are beginning to get used to how the exercises are applied. Student performance seems to improve with each cycle. In Cycle I, some students achieved a score of 40 and a maximum score of 80. In Cycle II, student scores changed, with a minimum score of 60 and a maximum score of 90. In the Cycle III activity, students can keep the smash ball fluently on the bottom pass and see the score. The lowest is 80 and the highest is 90

The Effect Of Eight-week Sprint Interval Training On Aerobic Ability Of Elite Female Badminton Players

Because of the fast ball speed, high swing frequency and short intervals, the badminton event requires athletes to complete fast running, sudden start or stop, change of direction and continuous high-intensity multiple shots on the field. There are high requirements for athletes' aerobic capacity. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of 8-week Sprint Interval Training (SIT) on enhancing the aerobic exercise ability of female badminton athletes from the perspective of oxygen transport and utilization. METHODS: Sixteen elite female badminton players were selected and random divided into experimental group (SIT group) and control group (CON group). The SIT group underwent three sprint interval trainings per week, including two power bike trainings and one multi-ball training. The CON group performed two Fartlek runs and one regular shuttlecock-feeding training per week for a total of eight weeks. Before and after intervention, the two groups of athletes were tested for aerobic capacity via YO-YO IR2, maximal oxygen uptake, lactate clearance rate, and the arterial occlusion muscle oxygen content test performed by Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) instrument. Subsequently, players' muscle oxygen consumption and other related parameters were compared between two groups using repeated-measures ANOVA, considering pre-post effect. RESULTS: The running distance of YO-YO IR2 of SIT group increased from 725 ± 132.9 m to 840 ± 126.5 m (p < 0.05). The VT-VO2 of SIT group increased from 1940.1 ± 112.8 ml/min to 2176.9 ± 78.6 ml/min (p < 0.05), VT/VO2max increased from 75 ± 4% to 82 ± 4% (p < 0.05), and the lactate clearance rate was raised from 21 ± 5% to 27 ± 4% (p < 0.05). The ΔO2Hb of SIT group decreased from 4.8 ± 0.5 μm to 4.4 ± 0.5 μm (p < 0.05), the oxygen consumption of muscle decreased from 0.62 ± 0.06 mlO2/min/100 g to 0.57 ± 0.06 mlO2/min/100 g (p < 0.05), and the full recovery time of O2Hb declined from 9.99 ± 1.9 s to 9.44 ± 1.5 s (p < 0.05), O2Hb over-recovery increased from 4.79 ± 0.5 μm to 5.19 ± 0.6 μm (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: SIT can improve maximum aerobic working capacity, aerobic recovery ability and oxygen utilization efficiency by improving the oxygen uptake and utilization ability of badminton players’ skeletal muscles, thus boosting the their rapid repeated sprinting ability.

Revision ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction in Major League Baseball pitchers: effects of fastball velocity and usage.

Ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) tears are prevalent in Major League Baseball (MLB) pitchers and can cause significant loss of time with varying reports of impact on performance. Revision UCL reconstruction (UCLR) is becoming increasingly common, with little known about the effects on fastball (FB) velocity and usage (FB%) in this setting. The purpose was to evaluate the effect of revision UCLR on MLB pitchers with respect to postoperative FB velocity and FB% at 1 and 2 years after return to play. The hypothesis was postoperative FB velocity and FB% would significantly decrease vs. prerevision levels, and that revision UCLRs would result in significantly decreased FB velocity and FB% in comparison to a matched group of MLB pitchers after primary UCLR. Twenty-one pitchers who underwent revision UCLR and returned to MLB play were identified from public records from 2008-2021. The PITCHf(x) system collected FB velocity for 4-seam (4FB) and 2-seam (2FB) fastballs and total FB% for pitchers in the prerevision year as well as the 2 years after return. A matched control group of pitchers who underwent primary UCLR was used for comparison. There were no significant differences in FB velocity between prerevision levels (4FB 92.9 mph, 2FB 91.4 mph) and years 1 (4FB 92.5 mph, 2FB 91.2 mph) and 2 (4FB 93.4 mph, 2FB 91.1 mph) after revision UCLR. FB% decreased from the prerevision season (60.1) and the first (56.2, P=.036) and second years (52.5, P=.002) after return. There were no significant differences between FB velocity and FB% or between the revision and primary UCLR groups. Pitchers returning to the MLB level after revision UCLR can expect similar FB velocity to their prerevision FB velocity and to pitchers undergoing primary UCLR; however, they do demonstrate a decrease in FB%, which may suggest less confidence in their FB after RTP.

Paper 12: Revision Ulnar Collateral Ligament Reconstruction in Major League Baseball Pitchers: Effect on Fastball Velocity and Usage

Objectives:Ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) tears are prevalent in Major League Baseball (MLB) pitchers and cause significant loss of time with varying reports of impact on performance. Revision UCL reconstruction (UCLR) is increasingly common, with little known about the effects on both fastball (FB) velocity and usage (%) in this setting. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of revision UCLR on MLB pitchers with respect to post-operative FB % and velocity at one and two years after return-to-play. The hypothesis was that post-operative FB usage (FB%) and velocity would significantly decrease versus pre-injury levels in the revision UCLR group, and that revision UCLRs would result in significantly decreased FB % and velocity in comparison to a matched group of MLB pitchers after primary UCLRs.Methods:Public records were used to identify MLB pitchers from 2008 to 2020 who underwent a revision UCLR. The PITCHf/x system, which was installed in 2007 and is a standardized recording of all pitches thrown in MLB stadiums, collected FB velocity for four-seam (4FB) and two-seam (2FB) fastballs and total FB % for pitchers in the pre-injury year as well as the first two years after return. A matched control group of pitchers who underwent primary UCLR was used for comparison.Results:Nineteen pitchers fit the study criteria. There were no significant differences in the revision UCLR group in FB velocity between pre-injury levels (4FB 92.87 mph, 2FB 91.43 mph) and years one (4FB 92.55 mph, p=.375) (2FB 91.2 mph, p=0.448) and two (4FB 93.38 mph, p=.695) (2FB 91.59 mph, p=0.806) after return (Table 1). There were also no significant differences in FB % usage between the pre-injury season (60.4) and first (56.5, p=.095) or second years (52.5, p=.053) after return (Table 1). In terms of walks and hits per innings pitched (WHIP), strikeouts per 9 innings (K/9), and walks per 9 innings (BB/9), the only significant difference between pre-injury and post-injury outcomes was a significant higher K/9 in the first season after return (p=0.031) (Table 1).There were no significant differences between FB velocity or % usage between the revision and primary UCLR groups at any time point (Tables 2-4). There were also no significant differences in the revision and primary UCLR groups between WHIP, K/9, or BB/9 with the exception of lower WHIP (p=0.015) and K/9 (p=0.001) in the pre-injury season (Tables 2-4).Conclusions:In pitchers that return to the MLB level, there were no significant differences in FB velocity versus their pre-injury levels or in comparison to pitchers after primary UCLR. While not statistically significant, a trend was demonstrated that there was a clinically relevant decrease in FB % usage, potentially suggesting less confidence in their FB.Table 1.Comparison of major league baseball (MLB) revision ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction (UCLR) between pre-injury and post-operative performance. The pre-injury performance was collected for the year prior to injury while the post-operative performance was collected for the first and second years after return-to-play. Statistical comparisons were made between pre-injury performance versus the performance at 1 and 2 years after return to the MLB. Fastball (FB) velocity reported as a mean in miles-per-hour (mph). WHIP- walks and hits per inning pitched, BB/9-walks per 9 inning, K/9- strikeouts per 9 innings, *-statistically significantTable 2.Comparison of major league baseball (MLB) pitchers with revision ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction (UCLR) versus a group of primary UCLR (controls) in their pre-injury season prior to their respective surgical intervention. Fastball (FB) velocity reported as a mean in miles-per-hour (mph).. WHIP- walks and hits per inning pitched, BB/9-walks per 9 inning, K/9- strikeouts per 9 innings, *-statistically significantTable 3.Comparison of major league baseball (MLB) pitchers with revision ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction (UCLR) versus a group of primary UCLR (controls) in their first season after return to play. Fastball (FB) velocity reported as a mean in miles-per-hour (mph). WHIP- walks and hits per inning pitched, BB/9-walks per 9 inning, K/9- strikeouts per 9 innings, *-statistically significantTable 4.Comparison of major league baseball (MLB) pitchers with revision ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction (UCLR) versus a group of primary UCLR (controls) in their second season after return to play. Fastball (FB) velocity reported as a mean in miles-per-hour (mph). WHIP- walks and hits per inning pitched, BB/9-walks per 9 inning, K/9- strikeouts per 9 innings, *-statistically significant

Frequency of Static and Dynamic Balance, Lumbo-pelvic Control and Injuries Among Cricket Pace Bowlers; A Cross Sectional Study

Abstract:Cricket is among one of non-contact sports which predisposes body to high magnitude of forces and stressors, especially role of bowling, more precisely pace bowling. Action of lumbar spine muscles provides substantial force to facilitate release of faster ball. Combine postural action of ipsilateral spinal rotation, contralateral Flexion and lumbar extension contributes as pathomechanics to lower back injury during the delivery strike.Objective: To determine the frequency of static and dynamic balance, lumbo-pelvic control and injuries among bowlers.Methadology: An observational cross-sectional study in which convenient sampling technique was used, sample size was 90 irrespective of gender and age, Aging between18 to 24 years from both genders. The data was analyzed using SPSS in which frequency percentage, mean, SD and chi square tests were used.Results: The gender distribution showed that there were 73.3% males and rest of 26.7% females. The history of previous injuries showed 83.3% playerhaving injuries previously. There were 55.6% players who reported injuries to low back. Results regarding Single Leg Balance Test (SLBT), Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) were significantly better for right (p-value &lt;0.05) for all its variety, however, overall it was much less than bench mark time. As indicated by chi square test, no association found, p value 0.873 regarding injuries and gender distribution.Conclusion: The findings of study concluded a high prevalence of soft tissue injuries, impaired static and dynamic balance. Both male and females were equally predisposed to injuries. Keywords:Pace Bowler, Sports Injuries, Back Injuries,Stability, Control

Effects of numerical unbalance constraints on workload and tactical individual actions during ball possession small-sided soccer games across different age groups

ABSTRACT This study aimed to examine the effects of age group (under-11, under-15, and under-23) on the external, internal workloads, and tactical individual actions when playing 4v2, 4v4, and 4v6 ball possession small-sided soccer games. Data were analysed separately under the opponent perspective (4vX) and by the cooperation perspective, according to teammates (4v2+X). For all opponent formats, statistical differences were found for walking, with older age groups covering longer distances. Higher running distances were found in 4v4 game format for U11s, while U23s reported higher RPE scores in 4v4 and 4v6 formats. More passes were performed in 4v2 and 4v4 game formats for U11s and a higher maximum passing speed in 4v6 format for U15s and U23s. In the cooperation perspective, statistical differences were found for all external workload variables: U11s covered more distances while sprinting, whereas U23s walked more, perceiving the task as more intense. Similarly, U11s performed a higher amount of tactical individual actions also in every format. Younger players seem to benefit from a lower level of opposition to mature tactical individual actions, while older players can develop fast ball circulation in numerical inferiority.

Modification of hurling helmets causing penetrating upper limb injury: A case series demonstrating opportunity for improved player safety

BackgroundThe games of hurling and camogie involve fast ball movement and a substantial physical contact with opposing players. The wearing of protective helmets with faceguards became obligatory 10 years ago and resulted in a significant reduction of craniofacial injuries. However since then a trend has emerged of players modifying helmets to improve comfort and vision. As officials are not yet required to perform pre-match checks, many players enter competition with defective protective equipment which poses a risk to both themselves and others. MethodsWe present 4 cases of penetrating upper limb injury in hurlers sustained as a result of helmet faceguards. These injuries were sustained during competitive play and the affected patients presented with portions of the faceguards embedded in their wounds. Each patient required admission to hospital and exploration of their wounds under general anaesthetic. ConclusionsThis case series demonstrates the dangers of modification and damage to protective helmet faceguards used in hurling and camogie. We encourage helmet manufacturers to re-engage with players to ensure that current safety equipment meets the functional demands of the modern player while adhering to approved manufacturing standards. Mandatory helmet checks before competitive games would reduce the likelihood of penetrating upper limb injury to players.

Trajectory based Fast Ball Detection and tracking for an Autonmous Industrial Robot System

Autonomising industrial robots is the main goal in this paper; imagine humanoid robots that have several degrees of freedom (DOF) mechanisms as their arms. What if the humanoid's arms could be prog...

Trajectory-based fast ball detection and tracking for an autonomous industrial robot system

Trajectory-based fast ball detection and tracking for an autonomous industrial robot system

Relationship Of Baseball Pitching Volume To Performance, Biometrics, And Reactive Hyperemia: A Pilot Study

We recently demonstrated body fat %, fast ball velocity, and RPE were significant predictors of valgus torque in NCAA baseball pitchers. Even though changes in hyperemic-induced limb volume are associated with acute, repetitive pitching performance, possibly indicating approaching dominant elbow soft-tissue risk, no investigation, to our knowledge, has examined relationships between performance, biometric, and throwing-limb volume in collegiate pitchers. PURPOSE: To quantify the relationship between pitching performance, subject biometrics, and hyperemic-induced changes in collegiate baseball pitchers during game-simulated pitching sessions of 40, 80, or 120 pitches. METHODS: Following informed consent, 5 male subjects (x̄ age = 18.8 ± 0.8 years; x̄ BMI = 27.6 ± 1.8; x̄ body fat % = 22.9 ± 6.2; x̄ throwing velocity = 80.4 ± 1.8 mph) were block-assigned to groups of 40, 80, or 120 pitches. Bouts consisted of 10 pitches (~20s between pitches) delivered from an artificial mound with 1-2 mins rest between bouts. HR and RPE were recorded immediately following each 10-pitch bout. A MOTUS sensor and compression sleeve measured elbow valgus torque. A Stalker Sport II Radar Gun measured fastball velocity. Pre-test and post-test upper- and lower-extremity limb girths were measured, signifying reactive hyperemia. Wilcoxon non-parametric testing determined pre- to post-test differences. Pearson correlation identified relationships between variables. Alpha was set at p ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: No group differences were found on any performance, biometric, demographic, or hemodynamic variable. HR (72.6 ± 8.3bpm vs. 97.6 ± 10.0bpm, p = 0.02) and dominant forearm limb girth (29.4 ± 1.5cm vs. 30.9 ± 1.5cm, p = 0.04) increased from pre-test to post-test for subjects combined. Significant correlations were found for: pitching volume & post-test HR (r = 0.90, p = 0.039); post-test dominant upper arm circumference & RPE (r = 0.89, p = 0.042), and; valgus torque % change & pitching volume (r = 0.91, p = 0.031). CONCLUSIONS: Forearm limb girth increased for subjects combined, and; given this metric’s indication of reactive hyperemia, future research focused on elucidating and quantifying the biological components of the tissue (compartments), as well as their contribution to performance- and/or injury-specific outcomes, is warranted.

Time analysis of throwing motions to second base by baseball catchers: Comparison of three throwing motions

The purpose of this study was to investigate a baseball catcher’s throwing time to second base using three throwing motion types. The subjects were professional ( n = 4) and college ( n = 12) baseball catchers. Two high-speed cameras were set to capture the throwing motion, while one was set to capture the net on second base. The throwing time of quick throw (throwing motion to release the ball immediately after catching the ball rather than usual throwing motion) was significantly shorter than those of usual throw (throwing motion used during games and practice) and fast ball throw (throwing motion to increase the ball velocity than usual throwing motion). From this result, it became clear that quick throw is the optimal throwing motion when judged by time. Thus, with respect to correlations between variables, there were significant positive correlations between throwing and motion times (usual throw: r = 0.760; fast ball throw: r = 0.719; quick throw: r = 0.767), and between throwing and airborne times (usual throw: r = 0.784; fast ball throw: r = 0.744; quick throw: r = 0.806), for all three throwing motions. However, negative correlations were shown between throwing and release times in usual throw and fast ball throw. The results suggest that, to shorten the throwing time, it is necessary to shorten the hold and stride times and to improve the ability to throw the ball as fast as possible with a shorter motion time.

Role of the Long Head of the Biceps During Active Pitching in Healthy Collegiate Athletes: An Electromyographic Evaluation

Objectives:Supraphysiologic forces placed on the glenohumeral joint during pitching leads to a high incidence of bicipital-labral pathology in competitive pitchers. Heavy debate in operative management between biceps tenodesis, labral repair, and debridement warrants further study in the role of the biceps during pitching. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the recruitment of the long and short heads of the biceps utilizing electromyographic evaluation and correlate activity with pitch velocity.Methods:Seventeen healthy, competitive, pitchers were recruited and consented to pitch in a controlled laboratory setting, under electromyographic observation. Surface electromyography (sEMG) was performed via electrodes placed on either head of the biceps, deltoid, infraspinatus, and latissimus dorsi, band pass filtered between 10-500 Hz and sampled at a rate of 1500 Hz during the pitching motion. sEMG was normalized to maximal volumetric isometric contraction (MVIC) via manual muscle testing (MMT). Pitch velocity was measured using a Speedster III radar gun, and then correlated to sEMG readings.Results:Average age of recruited subjects was 19.8 ± 1.4 years old. Average number of years pitched was 10.3 ± 3.6 years. Fourteen players reported their highest level of play was college, while two reported semi-professional, and one reported high-school. Average pitch velocity from included pitches was 70.6 ± 4.0 (range: 61 - 79). sEMG signals were interpreted in three modalities: median signal, integral sum of all signals, and time spent (ms) above 10% MVIC. Pitch velocity did not correlate to any sEMG analysis (p>0.05) by bivariate linear regression. Coefficient of variation was greater between pitchers than within pitchers. Greater than 80% of pitchers demonstrated statistically different activation of the long head of biceps muscle (LHBM) versus short head of biceps muscle (SHBM) (Figure 1). Three players had significantly greater short head activation, while 12 players had significantly greater long head activation.Conclusion:The long and short heads of the biceps are consistently activated during pitching, suggested they have a role during the late cocking and deceleration phase of pitching, although not correlated to ball acceleration. Preferential recruitment of either long or short head biceps suggest variability in fast ball pitching styles, that warrant further research for clinical implications.Figure 1.Electromyography time series data demonstrating LHBM dominant pitcher subject 9 (Blue) in comparison to SHBM dominant pitcher subject 10 (Yellow)