Abstract des Autors

The purpose of this study was to determine if warm-up with baseball bats of different moments of inertia has an effect on swing pattern and bat velocity. Ten experienced baseball players (ages 2025 years) voluntarily participated in this study. Each participant was required to complete 10 dry swings (5 warm-up and 5 postwarm-up) at maximum effort within 3 different conditions. Post warm-up was always with a standard bat (I=.27 kgm²; 83.8 cm, 9.1 N). Warm-up for Condition 1 was with the standard bat. Condition 2 required participants to warm up with a standard bat plus a 6.1 N lead donut (I=.49 kgm², 83.8 cm, 15.6 N). Condition 3 required participants to warm up with a hollow plastic bat (I=.08 kgm²; 83.8 cm, 3.34 N). Quantitative and qualitative analyses indicated that following warm-up with the weighted bat (largest moment of inertia), swing pattern was significantly altered, and post warm-up velocity was the lowest of the three conditions. Verf.-Referat