Abstract
Visual skills are crucial in baseball batting, as they support the ability to identify pitch type and location, known as pitch recognition (PR). However, the most effective way to train these skills remains debated. Therefore, this study tested whether batting practices against a virtual pitcher or visuomotor training could improve PR. To investigate this question, twenty-eight highly trained male baseball batters aged 16 to 21 (M = 18, SD = 1.16), with an average of 11 years (SD = 2.28) of baseball experience, were recruited and divided into three training groups: virtual reality (VR; batting practice against a virtual pitcher; Win Reality, Austin, TX, USA), visuomotor (VM; eye-hand reaction and timing tasks), and active control (AC; regular batting practice against a pitching machine). Participants performed the training condition twice per week for six weeks, in addition to their regular baseball practices. Pre- and post-tests consisted of a PR task in VR, which served to measure the participants’ accuracy in identifying pitch type, pitch location, and ball trajectory endpoint. Our results revealed that the VR group improved their endpoint evaluation accuracy significantly more than the AC group (p = 0.018; M = 30.95, SD = 6.50 and M = -1.86, SD = 25.69, respectively). None of the other comparisons revealed significant differences. The beneficial effect of VR condition may be associated with enabling participants to become attuned to the pitcher's kinematics, which provide crucial information for successful PR. Further studies should investigate the transfer of VR training to real-life batting situations.
