Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences ETDs

Publication Date

8-11-1970

Abstract

The accuracy of professional baseball players' lower arms to different kinesthetic locations was the concern of this study. An attempt was made to determine how accurately professional baseball players could reproduce an elbow-joint angle without the aid of visual or haptic knowledge, and to compare this accuracy to their fielding averages, positions played, and team won-lost averages. Forty-one players representing four teams in the Texas League volunteered for the study. The four teams represented each of the four positions in the Texas League standings at the dates their players were tested. A kinesthesiometer was designed and assembled to record the kinesthetic responses of the blindfolded players. This procedure consisted of each player flexing his lower arm at the elbow joint to a predetermined millimetric location and retaining this location for three seconds, then fully extending the arm. After the arm was fully extended, the player flexed the arm to the position at which it had been located for three seconds. The error of the response was recorded in millimeters. The mean of the errors of sixteen responses for each arm was used as an index of the player's kinesthetic accuracy. The kinesthetic index was compared to the player's (1) fielding average, (2) position played (infield, catching, or outfield), and (3) team won-lost average. The statistical results indicated insignificant relationship and insignificant difference between the kinesthetic measures and fielding averages, and also between the kinesthetic measures and positions played. The null hypotheses concerned with the relationship between these variables were accepted as tenable at the 0.05 level. However, the statistical results indicated a relationship exceeding the 0.05 level between kinesthetic measures and team won-lost averages. In an effort to identify the factors responsible for the affinity between these two variables, an additional statistical investigation was conducted. The investigation failed to manifest the veridicality of this relationship. As such, without supportive evidence the null hypothesis concerned with this relationship was rejected with reservations.

Document Type

Dissertation

Language

English

Degree Name

Health Education

Level of Degree

Doctoral

Department Name

Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences

First Committee Member (Chair)

Lloyd Robert Burley

Second Committee Member

David Herbert Hunt

Third Committee Member

Martin Burlingame

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