New Metal Bats & Kagoshima High School Baseball Changes

Akira Hiroo’s Baseball Diversity

The third “Japanese Baseball Society” was held at Hiroshima University on December 13th and 14th.

This event brings together researchers conducting research on baseball at universities, companies, and research institutes to present their research results and deepen exchanges.

Academics related to baseball include a wide variety of research fields, including biomechanics, sports physiology, sports nutrition, sports psychology, sports medicine, exercise mechanics (physics), and even sociological approaches.

The baseball conference was attended by 511 people from universities, companies, research institutes, professional baseball teams, etc. from all over the country.

An important part of the Japanese Baseball Society is “research presentations”.

This is an event where companies, schools, etc. compile and present their research results in poster size. This is commonly referred to as a “poster presentation.” At the Japanese Baseball Society, there are two types of presentations: “General Research Presentations” by academic members such as universities and private companies, and “High School Student Research Presentations” by high school students. For this reason, high school students led by teachers who are members of the society, which is unusual for a “society,” also attend the event. Many are baseball team members.

Kagoshima Commercial High School has participated in Koshien 12 times in the spring and 13 times in the summer. A strong school that has advanced to the top four in the summer. Chunichi Dragons manager Kazuki Inoue is also an alumnus.

Since last year, we have been participating in the “High School Student Research Presentation” and athletes belonging to the Athlete Sports Department are presenting the results of their research.

This year’s presentation has 2 themes.

“The impact of the introduction of new standard bats on high school baseball – adaptation and evolution brought about by changes in equipment standards”

“Controlling blood sugar levels – Knowing your blood sugar levels can help improve your performance.”

Both presentations were very unique.

Here, we will introduce the announcement of the “New Standard Bat.”

A study and discussion of the impact that the “new standard bat” introduced in 2024 Senbatsu High School Baseball has had on the high school baseball world.

Approximately two years have passed since its introduction, and we will clarify what changes have occurred in practice menus and training content as a result of the new standard bat.

A survey was conducted among eight high school baseball clubs in the Kyushu region, focusing on the main points of “changes in practice content,” “impact on batting technique,” and “changes in strength training,” and responses were received from 186 schools.

The gist of the survey is

① Are there any changes to the practice menu due to the change to the new standard bat (defensive/offensive)?

②Regarding strength training that is considered effective to compensate for the decrease in flying distance after the introduction of new standard bats

③Do you think that with the introduction of the new standard bat, there will be any changes in the development of the game compared to before the introduction?

①Changes in the practice menu with the new standard bat

Defense Yes 48.5% No 50.5%

Attack Yes 58.1% No 41.9%

High schools that responded that there has been a change are

(Defensive side) Checking cooperation between the outfield and infield, checking the defensive position of each position assuming a game, etc.

(Offensive) Practice hitting bunts and ground balls to not only hit the ball far but also advance the runner, batting practice with an awareness of point difference and game situation.

It is said that changes have been observed.

The amount of practice is

On the defensive side, 3.9% of schools have increased general practice, 1.7% have decreased it, 59.3% have no change, 19.7% have increased individual practice, 0.5% have decreased it, and 79.8% have no change.

In terms of offense, 27.9% of schools increased general practice, 5% decreased it, 67.1% said there was no change, 20.2% increased individual practice, 1.1% decreased it, and 78.7% said there was no change.

②Effective muscle training after introducing the new standard bat

・Strength effects based on BIG3 (bench, squat, deadlift) 27 schools

・Core training 18 schools

・15 instantaneous and speed training schools

・Swing technique practice 12 schools

・No change 14 schools

・Medicine ball 5 schools

・Four schools of softness and movable range

・6 circuit schools

・Other 3 schools

BIG3 and core training were found to be effective in improving swing stability and power, while explosive training was effective in improving swing speed.

Because the new standard bats have less repulsive force, improvements in muscle strength and swing speed tended to be directly linked to ball flight distance.

In addition, technical practice and flexibility training contributed to stabilizing the ball’s form, and vision training was suggested to have an auxiliary effect on hitting sensation.

Overall, when hitting with the new standard bat, it is important to improve muscle strength, core strength, and explosive power, and by combining this with technique and flexibility training, performance can be expected to improve.

That was the view.

③ Changes in game development due to the introduction of new standard bats

There were 153 schools that answered that there were “changes” in the development of games, and 33 schools that answered “I don’t think so”, with 82% saying there were changes.

in particular

・Increase in low scores and close matches

・Decrease in long hits and home runs

・The importance of bunts, base running, and tricks has increased

・The importance of defensive ability and pitching ability will further increase.

・Big innings drastically reduced

– Shorter match time and slower match tempo

・Many people said they were getting used to it since it was first introduced.

My overall opinion is that with the introduction of new standard bats, high school baseball has become a low-scoring sport, and has changed into a game that places more emphasis on defensive ability, base running, and situational judgment than on long hits.

In addition, with the new standard bat, improvements in muscle strength, core strength, and explosive power are directly linked to flight distance and swing speed, and further technical practice, flexibility, and strength training are considered to be the most important for achieving results in games.

Considering that in the “era of new standard bats,” “physical strengthening” and comprehensive improvement of “batting techniques” are the most important for players to achieve results in games,

“With the introduction of the new standard bat, a comprehensive improvement in muscle strength, explosive power, batting technique, and situational judgment is required, and developing these abilities is thought to lead to future success in university, adult, and professional baseball.”

He concludes.

Manager Tetsuya Nuriki, who directed this research, studied at Kagoshima University and the University of Tsukuba Graduate School, and then gained experience as a high school baseball coach in Kagoshima Prefecture. In 2022, he participated in the spring Koshien at Oshima High School.

“It all started when I was in my first year of high school, when I decided to actually check out a simple question: “Everyone says, “New standard bats don’t hit the ball,” but is that really true?”

Under the guidance of Yoshito Tomiyama, a physical education teacher and vice president of the baseball club, this project began as research for a major class in the Department of Athletes and Sports.

Current high school second-year students have been using the new standard bats since entering the school, but students playing junior high school hardball baseball have had experience using the old standard high-repulsion bats. I think that’s why I was interested in how to handle the new standard bat.

However, as I researched the new standards, I realized that not only the way bats were handled, but also games, practices, and training were changing. Therefore, we decided to conduct a survey to find out what leaders think about the questions they have.”

I have been interviewing the Japan High School Baseball Federation since last year, and have received feedback that the new standard metal bats will encourage players to move away from hitting that is only suitable for high school baseball and to evolve into hitting that is suitable for college, working adults, and professionals (who switch to wooden bats).

Kagoshima Commercial’s research shows that the introduction of the new standard bat is currently working.