Kinetic Analysis of the Fingers Under Different Ball Velocities During Overarm Throwing

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine changes in the kinetic parameters of the fingers caused by differences in ball velocity during overarm throwing. Six baseball players participated in the study, and the kinetics of the wrist and metacarpophalangeal (MP) joint were calculated using an inverse dynamics method. The results of Tukey’s multiple comparison tests showed that the torque and work of the wrist increased with increasing ball velocity (p < .05), indicating that wrist torque and work contributed to the adjustment of ball velocity. Peak MP joint torque also increased with ball velocity (p < .05), although the work of the MP joint remained relatively constant. We conclude that MP joint torque and work contribute to the achievement of stable ball release rather than adjusting ball velocity.