2. •.300 Average or Better (Breen, 1967)
AND/OR
•Minimum.275 average for more than 220 times at bat
and/or high stats in home runs, total bases, or
slugging percentage (Race, 1961)
Introduction
3. •Bat Velocity is an important characteristic of
successful hitters (Szymanski, 2009)
•Most important factor in hitting for distance (Brenkus,
2010)
Benefits
1) Increased decision time
2) Decreased swing time
3) Increased Batted-Ball Velocity (Szymanski, 2009)
4. •Specific resistance weight training, mechanical
efficiency, weighted implement training
•Right View Pro (RVP)
6. Problem Statement
•Resistant weight training and weighted implement
training increase bat velocity
•This study will show if a visual aide can improve
mechanical efficiency of a collegiate baseball player
so much that his bat velocity and batted-ball exit
speed increase.
8. Hypothesis
Bat Velocity-No difference will exist in bat velocity
between RVP Users, Non RVP Users and Non-Hitters
Batted-Ball Exit Velocity- No difference will exist in
batted-ball exit velocity between RVP Users, Non RVP
Users and Non-Hitters
Player Max Exit Speed Avg Exit Speed Avg HR Distance
Wladimir Balentin 122.3 107.3 423
Albert Pujols 119.6 106.9 414
Carlos Pena 119.4 104.4 395
Mark Reynolds 118.6 107.1 421
Nelson Cruz 118.3 106.6 417
Michael Cuddyer 118.1 108.2 416
Prince Fielder 117.6 105.0 406
Ian Stewart 117.5 106.0 419
Pablo Sandoval 117.3 105.5 410
Juan Miranda 117.2 117.2 469
9. Operational Definitions
•Bat Speed or Bat Swing Velocity: The highest speed
of the bat head (peak velocity) through the hitting
zone. Bat speed is measured in miles per hour (MPH).
•Batted-Ball Velocity: The speed at which the ball
exits the bat measured in miles per hour.
•Dynamic Balance: Motion of the balance point
through the swing. Center of Gravity
•Kinetic Link Principle: Sequential transfer of energy
•Bio-Mechanical Efficiency - whole body system
working as one in a constant dynamically balanced
state in the best possible time, order, and place
11. Cognitive Processing
•Pitcher’s body language, the previous history of
pitches (sequences), and the pitch count (2-0, 0-2)
(Gray, 2002).
1. Inadequate perceptual information in the
hitting situation
2. Lack of processing time (<300 milliseconds)
3. Issues tracking the ball with his eyes (Gray,
2002)
12. Perceptual Information
•An uncouple response(verbal) vs. coupled response
(actual swing)
•Uncouple: Experts were more accurate in determining
the pitch.
•Coupled: Experts were more accurate when using the
first 100 milliseconds of ball flight independently of
the pitcher’s body movements
(kinematics)(Ranganathan & Carlton, 2007).
14. Reaction Time
•Simple reaction time-190 milliseconds (0.19) light
stimulus and about 160 milliseconds (0.16) for a sound
stimulus (Kosinski, 2014)
•Batting Reaction Time: Average starting reaction-time
was around .21 seconds and the average movement
reaction-time to be approximately .27 seconds
(Hammel & Stumpner, 1950).
•Choice Reaction Time: Average choice starting
reaction time to move the bat was 0.29 seconds and
the average choice movement reaction-time in the
same students was 0.34 seconds (Hammel &
Stumpner, 1951).
15. Visual Research
•Experts: Focus on head, chest, or trunk of the pitcher
to the pitching arm and release point before ball is
released.
•Find release point during the wind-up. Approximately
150 milliseconds after release, move their eyes to the
ball.
•Non-experts: Focused on head and face of the pitcher
before release(Takeuchi & Inomata, 2009).
•Move eyes prior to release and focus attention away
from the release point, such as the head of the
pitcher (Shank & Haywood, 1987).
16. Bat Speed
Improved through
1. Bio-Mechanical Efficiency- Dynamic Balance &
Kinetic Link Principle (Keyes, 2005)
2. Torque (Rotational Force). Strength is one variable
that contributes to high bat velocity (Keyes, 2005).
Greater the velocity=Greater the energy (Lund &
Heefner, 2005)
Overweight and Underweight Resistance Training
(DeRenne, 2011)
17. •On-Deck Warmups: Increase after warming up with a
Wooden overloaded bat (34 oz.) and a 27 oz. under
loaded bat (DeRenne, 1982)
DeRenne’s Dirty Dozen Study
•Warming up with a bat that is 10% + or – the weight of
a standard bat (30 oz.) produced the greatest bat
velocity
•The most common used donut ring manufactured the
lowest bat velocity (DeRenne, 2011)
18. Methodology
•29 NJCAA Division II Baseball Athletes
•Group 1: Functional Baseball Weight Training Program
•Group 2: WT Program, Video Analysis
•Group 3: WT Program, Video Analysis, RVP Analysis
19. •Participants had 1 warmup swing and 10 recorded
swings off the tee into a net with the Stalker placed
on the other side (Batted-Ball Exit Velocity) while the
Pocket Radar was approximately 30 feet behind the
hitter (Bat Velocity).
•Equipment Used: Stalker Radar Gun, Pocket Radar
Gun, Tanner Tee, Rawlings R100HS Official League
ABCA Baseballs, BBCOR Easton S1 CXN (33 in, 30 oz., 2
5/8 inch barrel
Groups 2 and 3 (RVP) were provided 5 (30 minutes)
video analysis sessions
20. Results- BAT VELOCITY
Source (Bat
Velocity)
SS Df MS F P
Treatment
[between
groups]
77.098633 2 38.549316 1.84 0.178905
Error
[within
group]
543.640022 26 20.909232
SS/Bl
Total 620.738655 28
Groups A (N=9) B (N=8) C (N=12)
Baseline Test 73.93549383 (MPH) 77.47633929 (MPH) 82.76087963 (MPH)
Post-Test 75.34757496 (MPH) 74.75833333 (MPH) 81.40277778 (MPH)
Average
Difference (±) 1.412222 -2.72 -1.356667
Standard
Deviation (±)
5.816882 3.818313 3.941556
21. Results: Batted-Ball Exit Velocity
Groups A B C
Baseline Test
70.96790123 (MPH) 76.69146825 (MPH) 82.27314815 (MPH)
Post-Test
75.11014109 (MPH) 73.87931548 (MPH) 81.64444444 (MPH)
Average Difference
(±)
4.142222 -2.8125 -0.628333
Standard Deviation
(±)
7.10226 3.264881 3.071469
Source SS Df MS F P
Treatment
[between
groups]
220.633424 2 110.316712 4.93 0.015301
Error 581.926072 26 22.381772
Ss/Bl
Total 802.559497 28
Tukey HSD
Test
HSD (.05) HSD (0.1) M1 vs M2 M1 vs M3 M2 vs M3
5.44 6.97 P<.05 Non-significant Non-significant
22. Discussion
•Results suggest that RVP does not increase Bat
Velocity or Batted-Ball Exit Velocity
•Small muscles (hands & wrists) contribute about 1
horsepower per 10 pounds
•Lack of Energy, Large Muscles
•Kinetic link chain/principle being disrupted
sequentially
23. Limitations
•Amount of swings outside of practice/games
•Health, Attitude, Focus of Players
•Order of participants baseline and post-test
•Accuracy of Stalker/Pocket Radar and Recorder
• Where on the net the ball was hit
24. Conclusions/Recommendations
•Results show that using RVP does not significantly
improve bat velocity or batted-ball exit velocity.
•Bat Velocity and Batted-Ball Exit Velocity can increase
when warming up with bats 10% + or – the standard
bat weight
•Specific resistance training, overloaded, and under-
loaded weight training techniques have been proven
to increase one’s bat and exit velocity.
•Other benefits of RVP within confines of DeRenne’s Six
Swing Components (Stance, Load and Stride, Launch,
Bat Approach, Contact, and Finish) and 4 Absolutes(
Balance, Kinetic Link, Bat Lag, and Axis of Rotation).
25. •Moving Baseball vs. Stationary Baseball
•Wood Bat vs. Aluminum Bat
•DeRenne’s Studies/Components with RVP