Customer Focused Leader Brain Balance of Westchase Tampa, Florida, United States
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of warming up with a softball bat (SB) or using a SB with the addition of fat grips (FG) on subsequent swing performance. Methods: Division III female softball players (n = 18) participated in this investigation. Subjects came in for three sessions on nonconsecutive days. Session 1 consisted of gathering demographics and familiarizing subjects with the protocol. During sessions 2 and 3, subjects performed five sets of five submaximal swings and two maximal swings at a softball-sized wiffle ball hung from a ceiling at a standardized height in a randomized and counterbalanced design. The sets were completed with an initial treatment set, FG or SB, a baseline measurement completed 30 s after the treatment set, and at three, six and nine minutes. During the first set of seven swings, subjects were instructed to complete maximal isometric contractions when using the FG and use normal grip pressure when using the SB while swinging at the ball. The remaining four sets were completed using no FG and normal grip pressure. Power (P), bat speed (BS), hand speed (HS), and time to contact (TC) were measured during each maximal swing in the last four sets by a commercially available swing analyzer. Results: There were no significant main effects for treatment in regard to P (FG= 1.56 ± 0.29, SB= 1.57 ± 0.47 kW), BS (FG= 51.6 ± 7.63, SB= 51.73 ± 8.01 mph), HS (FG= 16.38 ± 2.58, SB= 16.29 ± 2.64 mph), and TC (FG= 0.17 ± 0.3, SB= 0.17 ± 0.3 s) (p > 0.05). There were also no main effects for timepoint or interaction effects for any variables. Conclusions: The use of FG to increase subsequent power production through post-activation potentiation was not found in this study. Although there were no differences between treatments, a commercially available swing analyzer can successfully provide important feedback. Practical Applications: There are different warmup techniques softball players use before coming up to bat. Although FG are known to increase muscle activation in strength-based movements, they are not an effective warmup technique for increasing batting performance. Sport coaches should find the best practices to enhance batting performance. Acknowledgements: None
