Individualised Ball Speed Prediction in Baseball Pitching Based on IMU Data

Abstract

Ball velocity is considered an important performance measure in baseball pitching. Proper pitching mechanics play an important role in both maximising ball velocity and injury-free participation of baseball pitchers. However, an individual pitcher’s characteristics display individuality and may contribute to velocity imparted to the ball. The aim of this study is to predict ball velocity in baseball pitching, such that prediction is tailored to the individual pitcher, and to investigate the added value of the individuality to predictive performance. Twenty-five youth baseball pitchers, members of a national youth baseball team and six baseball academies in The Netherlands, performed ten baseball pitches with maximal effort. The angular velocity of pelvis and trunk were measured with IMU sensors placed on pelvis and sternum, while the ball velocity was measured with a radar gun. We develop three Bayesian regression models with different predictors which were subsequently evaluated based on predictive performance. We found that pitcher’s height adds value to ball velocity prediction based on body segment rotation. The developed method provides a feasible and affordable method for ball velocity prediction in baseball pitching.

Optimal integration of kinematic and ball-flight information when perceiving the speed of a moving ball

“…From a baseball perspective, this means that skilled batters are better able to pick-up information from the pitcher's movements to predict the type of pitch and other ball-flight characteristics such as the height and direction of the pitch ( 2 , 3 , 19 – 21 ). From the viewpoint of ball speed, since angular velocities of various body parts such as the pitching arm are related to ball speed [e.g., ( 22 , 23 )], ball speed is indeed related to the speed of the pitching movement. Recently, Takamido et al ( 24 ) examined this in a softball batting prediction task by manipulating the movement speed of the pitcher's action when batters were required to estimate the speed of an approaching ball.…”