(42) RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN AGE, BODY SIZE, STRENGTH, AND POWER WITH THROWING VELOCITY AND HITTING EXIT-VELOCITY IN HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL ATHLETES

Female high school softball athletes require multiple fitness competences (e.g., muscular speed, strength, and power) to compete on a team and effectively perform the skills required by their sport. Performance in certain fitness tests could be used to inform athlete potential for sport success. This information could also be used to design training programs for athletes that may have specific limitations.

Purpose: To investigate the relationships between age, height, body mass, lower-body power, and lower-body strength on throwing and hitting velocity in female high school softball athletes.

Methods: Retrospective analysis was conducted on 34 high school softball athletes (age: 14.91±1.00 years; height: 1.66±0.07 cm; body mass: 63.21±9.59 kg) from a strength and conditioning facility that specializes in training softball athletes. Testing for each athlete occurred in one 45–60 minute session. Age, height, and body mass were recorded first. Linear speed was measured by the 18.29-m (20-yard) sprint using timing gates positioned at the 0-m, 9.14-m (10-yard), and 18.29-m (20-yard) marks. Lower-body power was measured by the standing broad jump (SBJ); athletes performed a countermovement prior to jumping forward as far as possible. Overhand throwing velocity was measured using a portable pitching tracker. Hitting ability was inferred from hitting exit-velocity measured using a portable hitting tracker. For linear speed and power tests, athletes performed three trials and the best trial was used for analysis. Lower-body strength was measured by the 3-repetition maximum (3RM) front squat and 3RM trap bar deadlift. Pearson’s correlations were used to calculate relationships between throwing velocity and hitting exit-velocity with age, body size, power, and strength (p< .05).

Results: Age (r=.470), height (r=.386), and SBJ (r=.349) all showed positive, significant relationships with throwing velocity. Age (r=.420), height (r=.481), body mass (r=.558), SBJ (r=.496), 3RM front squat (r=.457), and 3RM trap bar deadlift (r=.448) all showed significant positive relationships with hitting exit-velocity.

Conclusion: The results reinforced the importance of overall fitness for female high school athletes relative to competing in their specific sport. Age and height significantly related to the athlete’s ability to throw and hit the ball more powerfully (i.e., with faster velocity), which could be expected with maturation and increased age and body size. Lower-body power also significantly related to the softball-specific motor skills measured in the athletes from this study; the SBJ also showed a stronger relationship to hitting exit-velocity relative to age and height. Additionally, lower-body strength appeared to impact the likelihood for softball athletes to successfully hit the ball with high velocity. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: High school softball coaches could use fitness test data to distinguish an athlete’s ability to perform certain sport-specific skills. Although it may be expected that high school athletes improve fitness and motor skill skills with growth, the current results emphasize how specific tests could highlight limitations in athlete fitness that could affect their performance on the field. Furthermore, the data suggests that lower-body power and lower-body strength could improve a softball athlete’s chances of efficiently hitting the ball with high velocity, which could influence an athlete’s ability to get on base in a game.


Acknowledgements: This research was supported by an NSCA Directed Research Grant.