Abstract
The pursuit of competitive advantage in sports has increasingly focused on developing the neural processes underlying skill execution, referred to as perceptual-cognitive skills. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to assess the effects of a baseball-specific perceptual training video game as an adjunct to traditional training methods. Twenty male youth athletes (ages 13-17), each with at least one year of experience participating in competitive baseball leagues as batting athletes, were assigned to either an intervention group (n = 10) or a control group (n =10). Over two weeks, all athletes engaged in 90 minutes of standardized batting training across seven training days. During rest intervals, the intervention group engaged in a batting-specific training video game, while the control group received a typical period of rest. Player performance was assessed across three testing sessions: in a pre-test, in an immediate post-intervention retention test, and in a delayed post-intervention retention test, each involving a 15-pitch batting scenario with a live pitcher. Performance metrics included decision accuracy (balls, strikes), chase rate (false positives), and an overall batting score. Significant main effects for group were observed for decision accuracy (F(1,11)=9.544, p=.010) and chase rate (F(1,11)=6.545, p=.027), with the intervention group demonstrating better performance compared to the control group at retention. These findings support the feasibility of incorporating a baseball-specific perceptual training video game to enhance batting performance in youth athletes.
