Anticipation in Baseball: Differences in Using Spatial Cues between Skilled and Novice Players

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the differences between novice and skilled baseball players to anticipate the type of ball being pitched and to specify the players’ dependence on distributed or local kinematic spatial cues. Male baseball players (N= 15; Mage: 27.73 ± 6.28 years; baseball experience: 7.90 ± 5.69 years) and novices (N= 15; Mage: 23.10 ± 5.68 years; no playing experience in baseball) were asked to anticipate the type of pitch (i.e., fastball vs. curveball) using a spatial occlusion paradigm. Both groups viewed recorded video simulations of spatially manipulated pitches in which nine specific parts of the pitcher’s body or the ball were either omitted or showed separately. The data was analyzed by a 2 (Skill level) × 9 (Display Condition) mixed-design analysis of variance. The results revealed that skilled baseball players outperformed novices in the occlusion conditions. Furthermore, the results revealed that skilled baseball players used throwing arm and ball as well as upper body kinematic cues for their correct anticipations. The results are in line with previous findings on perceptual-cognitive expertise and decision-making in interactive sports and indicate skilled baseball players are able to obtain information distributed globally within the pitcher's body, rather than reliance on specific isolated or local kinematic cues.