SYMPOSIA PAPER Published: 01 January 1997
STP11868S

Deceleration Distance Estimation using a Kinematic Model and Elapsed Time Measurements: An Application to Baseball

Source

Motivated by safety concerns in baseball and softball, a study has been conducted of the distance required by people to stop from running. The deceleration following the sprint from home plate to first base is used to represent stopping actions which occur in baseball and softball. Measurements of home-to-first sprint and stop times from actual games and staged experiments are combined with an analytical model to estimate stopping distances.. Comparisons with other analyses and sports events indicate the validity of the present model. Data from high school (male) baseball and the corresponding analysis are presented. The results suggest that baseball and softball players require on the order of 40 feet (12.2 meters) to stop after the home-to-first sprint and that this distance may be a useful value to first consider for safety zones.

Author Information

Koenig, K
Mississippi State University, MS
Davis, N
Mississippi State University, MS
Wilson, T
Mississippi State University, MS
Randle, R
Itawamba Community College, Fulton, MS
Slavings, R
University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS
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Details
Developed by Committee: F08
Pages: 67–77
DOI: 10.1520/STP11868S
ISBN-EB: 978-0-8031-5368-4
ISBN-13: 978-0-8031-2475-2