A Pilot Study of Horizontal Head and Eye Rotations in Baseball Batting

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of the study was to measure and compare horizontal head and eye tracking movements as baseball batters “took” pitches and swung at baseball pitches. Methods Two former college baseball players were tested in two conditions. A pitching machine was used to project tennis balls toward the subjects. In the first condition, subjects acted as if they were taking (i.e. NOT swinging) the pitches. In the second condition, subjects attempted to bat the pitched balls. Head movements were measured with an inertial sensor; eye movements were measured with a video eyetracker. Results For each condition, the relationship between the horizontal head and eye rotations was similar for the two subjects as were the overall head-, eye-, and gaze-tracking strategies. In the “take” condition, head movements in the direction of the ball were larger than eye movements for much of the pitch trajectory. Large eye movements only occurred late in the pitch trajectory. Gaze was directed near the ball until about 150ms before the ball arrived at the batter, at which time gaze was directed ahead of the ball to a location near that occupied when the ball crosses the plate. In the “swing” condition, head movements in the direction of the ball were larger than eye movements throughout the pitch trajectory. Gaze was directed near the ball until about 50ms-60ms prior to pitch arrival at the batter. Discussion Horizontal head rotations were larger than horizontal eye rotations in both the “take” and “swing” conditions. Gaze was directed ahead of the ball late in the pitch trajectory in the “take” condition, while gaze was directed near the ball throughout much of the pitch trajectory in the “swing” condition.

The predictability of a target’s motion influences gaze, head, and hand movements when trying to intercept it

“…The predictability of the targets' trajectories also influenced head movements to some extent. Previous studies have reported that head movements contribute substantially to keeping moving targets in central vision when interacting with them (Bahill and LaRitz 1984;Fogt and Persson 2017;Fogt and Zimmerman 2014;Mann et al 2013). Most of those studies involved sports such as baseball or cricket, in which the ball's angular displacement near the time of the hit is so large that it is impossible to track the ball by moving the eyes only.…”

Utilization of Inertial Measurement Units for Determining the Sequential Chain of Baseball Strike Posture

“…Baseball striking is considered a challenging task [ 3 ] and requires multiple body part movements, which involve the batter’s motor coordination [ 4 , 5 ]. The striking sequence is a kinematic chain starting from the bottom to the top: knee flexion, hip abduction, waist rotation, shoulder rotation, neck rotation, then upper limb swing [ 6 ].…”

“…Moreover, proprioception is essential to real-time feedback on the body position information [ 8 ]. Regarding the baseball batter, the horizontal head and eye movements are used to estimate the location and timing of the strike [ 3 ]. After receiving the visual information, batters process these messages through the ability of motor coordination.…”

“…Most studies focused on the local segment of the body. For example, the visual search strategy of the athlete prior to receiving a pitched ball [ 14 ]; the horizontal head and eye movements as baseball batters take pitches and swing at baseball pitches [ 3 ]; the investigation of trunk rotation patterns during baseball batting [ 15 ]; the effects of the GRFs on the rotation of the body and the joint torques in baseball tee batting [ 13 ]; the body weight shift of batter [ 6 ]. The research of the best strike timing was based on the rotation angles [ 16 ].…”

Orientation of the Head and Trunk During Functional Upper Limb Movement

“…Orientation of the head engages visual, vestibular and spinal neck proprioceptive systems [16][17][18] serving to regulate movements of the hand [19]. In particular, coordinated head and gaze orientation are thus fundamental in throwing [20,21], catching [22], and striking actions [23] common to various sports.…”