Neuromuscular Control System

Biomechanics and visual-motor control: how it has, is, and will be used to reveal the secrets of hitting a cricket ball

“…It has been proposed that this style of training enabled Bradman to gain fine motor control of his wrists, which may have developed Biomechanics and cricket batting 309 the ability to make fine online alterations at the wrist joint (Glazier et al, 2005). Findings from Dewhurst (1967) and Johansson and Westling (1984) support this notion by suggesting that it is possible to fine tune the distinct parameters of an existing motor programme without necessarily being required to change to a different motor programme to elicit the same response. Future work using kinematic tracking and electromyography (EMG) analyses of the batter's wrists will be useful to determine whether the wrist flexors and extensors can be finely manipulated to alter the execution of a shot.…”

Interception in the presence of ball-swing: exploring the development of visual-motor expertise in cricket batting

“…Further, these effects tended to occur irrespective of the batter's skill and/or age (i.e., very few interactions with skill or age). When facing the out-swinging trials, in summary, batters relied on a more brief front-foot stride and a lower facing the out-swinging trials (see Bootsma & van Wieringen, 1990;Dewhurst, 1967;Johansson & Westling, 1984).…”

“…This highlights that it may not be the presence of ball-swing that influences interceptive performance per se, but rather that the decrease in performance is related to a particular type of swinging target (in this case the out-swinging ball). The out-swinging ball also significantly influenced the timing of nearly all the key moments in the hitting action, with batters found to spend more time in the downswing phase of the bat-swing to presumably regulate the position of their bat to coincide with the ball at the moment of arrival (see Bootsma & van Wieringen, 1990;Dewhurst, 1967;Johansson & Westling, 1984). Three specific measures strongly discriminated movements made for out-swinging when compared to in-swinging 71 deliveries: a quicker backswing, a shorter front-foot stride, and earlier downswing initiation (accurately predicting group membership of 84% of cases).…”

“…This finding has been interpreted to suggest that late ball-flight information may be redundant for successful interception, as it is very difficult for batters to alter their bat-swing once it has been initiated. However, Bootsma and van Wieringen (1990) have argued that this delay is excessive because it represents the time that is necessary to initiate a new action to an unexpected deviation in flight rather than that required to adapt an existing motor action to account for a more subtle deviation in ball-flight (Dewhurst, 1967;Johansson & Westling, 1984). It could be that the ability to direct gaze towards the anticipated position of bat-ball 78 contact may allow batters to monitor the progress of the ball using their peripheral vision and make adjustments to their bat-swing as late as is permissible by the sensorimotor system (Bootsma & van Wieringen, 1990;Ripoll & Fleurance, 1988).…”

“…continuous regulation of their bat-swing as late as is permissible by the sensorimotor system, without necessarily initiating a new action (see Dewhurst, 1967;Johansson & Westling, 1984). This behaviour can also be observed in everyday activities such as the minute alterations in wrist position when picking up a glass of water, or beer, to avoid spilling a drop.…”