Title: Interactive video-based technology and perceptual skill training for batting in youth baseball players
Thesis Supervisors: Dr. Shannon Bredin, Kinesiology, University of British Columbia
Committee member: Dr. Desmond McEwan, Kinesiology, University of British Columbia; Dr. Andrew Perrotta, Kinesiology, University of Windsor
Defence Chair: Dr. David Wright, Kinesiology, University of British Columbia
Abstract:
The pursuit of a competitive advantage in sports has increasingly emphasized the development of perceptual-cognitive skills, which underlie anticipation and decision-making in interceptive sports like baseball. This cross-sectional pilot study aimed to assess the effects of a baseball-specific perceptual-cognitive training video game as an adjunct tool to traditional batting practice. Twenty male youth athletes (ages 13–17) with at least one year of competitive baseball experience as batting athletes, were quasi-randomly assigned to either an intervention group (n = 10) or a control group (n = 10). All athletes engaged in 90 minutes of a typical batting program on each of seven training days. The intervention group engaged in a batting-specific video game during rest intervals, while the control group received typical rest periods. Player performance was assessed at pre-test, at immediate post-test, and at delayed retention (one week after training). Testing included a 15-pitch live batting scenario, a pitch anticipation task, and a coincidence anticipation timing task. Coincidence anticipation timing, measured by absolute and constant error from the target (ms), showed a significant main effect of Time, F(1.32,14.46)=10.74, p=.003, ηp2=.494 and F(1.36, 14.91) = 6.33, p = .017, respectively. A significant main effect for Time, F(2, 22) = 8.09, p = .002, was also found for identifying pitch type in the pitch anticipation task, with the intervention group showing significant improvement from pre-test to retention. In living batting, the intervention group demonstrated superior decision accuracy, F(1,11) = 9.544, p = .010, and chase rate, F(1,11) = 6.545, p = .027, compared to the control group at retention. These findings support the feasibility and effectiveness of integrating a baseball-specific perceptual-cognitive video game into traditional baseball practice. From a practical perspective, these findings suggest that rest intervals can me optimized to train perceptual-cognitive skills. Future research should explore the long-term effects of perceptual-cognitive video game training on batting performance across different ages and skill levels, and its transferability to real-game settings.