How can I optimize my softball performance in order to perform well in
tournaments such as IASAS?
SL Mathematics Analysis and Application
Area of syllabus: Trigonometry, Probability, and Calculus
,Rationale:
I still remember theBANGwhen I got hit in the nosewith a softball on the first day
of tryouts in my junior year of highschool. After falling in love with softball the previous year
and travelling for the Varsity team, I was so determined to be captain in my junior year!
Unfortunately due to the hit my nose was broken and I was forced to leave for the
entire season. However, due to my profound love for the sport I still enjoyed watching as
much as I could.
Even though I wasn’t be able to physically play in junior year, I spent so much time
understanding the dynamics within the field. The relationship between the pitcher and the
batsmen to comprehend if there was a correlation between small changes that the pitcher
takes and the outcome of the batter.
Aim:
The motive for this IA is to explore the factors that influence a batter in terms of their
game performance. This can be explored through understanding what occurs to the ball
coming at them from the pitcher. These are generally tactics that pitchers use totrickthe
batter into taking a false swing. This is important for me as I am the batter and want to
understand how it impacts my performance.
Research Question:
How can I optimize my performance in order to perform well in tournaments such as
IASAS?
Introduction:
There are many factors that can contribute towards the overall success or failure of
the batter when it comes to hitting the ball. After collecting my data I am going to use
calculus, trigonometry, and probability to further understand the optimization of
performance. I want to use probability to see the highest chance of me hitting the ball at a
higher speed, since at IASAS there will be very good pitchers that may pitch at faster speeds
than i’m used to. I plan on using trigonometry to measure the angle of my bat and try
, comparing that with some of the top softball and baseball players, allowing me to analyze the
optimal angle. Lastly I can use calculus to integrate the function and find the optimal
distance from the pitcher that will allow for my most enhanced performance.
Methodology:
Calculating Probability:
One of the main factors that impacts any decision the batter makes is the speed of
which the ball is coming at the batter. It is extremely important for a softball player to train
with different speeds of balls coming at them, however it is impossible to predict the speed of
the ball based on a pitcher. Therefore, there is an advantage of being a batsmen lower down
the batting line as your teammates would bat before you and it is possible to gauge the speed
of the pitcher. Nontheless in my case, I practiced with a pitching machine at different speeds
and was able to collect data on the number of hits per each speed range.
Figure 1:Speed (km/hr) VS number of hits
Speed (km/hr) # of hits
30-40 29/30
40-50 14/30
50-60 7/30
60-70 5/30
70-80 4/30
Above is the raw data I collected about how many hits I was able to get based on each
range of speeds. I realized that my chances of hitting most of the balls is at 30-40km/hr but
the average speed of a Fastpitch Softball pitcher for the age range of 16-17 is 50-56km/hr
(“Average Softball Pitching Speeds by Age - Fastpitcher | Fastpitch Softball”).
Therefore this makes me wonder: what are the chances of hitting the balls in the
second half of the hits? To calculate this, I can find the conditional probability to show the
chance the balls are hit but for each speed range. I was able to collect the second half of the
balls pitched by counting the last 15 balls from the video recording. As each speed range
pitched a total of 30 balls, I am able to observe the last 15 balls pitched and further calculate
tournaments such as IASAS?
SL Mathematics Analysis and Application
Area of syllabus: Trigonometry, Probability, and Calculus
,Rationale:
I still remember theBANGwhen I got hit in the nosewith a softball on the first day
of tryouts in my junior year of highschool. After falling in love with softball the previous year
and travelling for the Varsity team, I was so determined to be captain in my junior year!
Unfortunately due to the hit my nose was broken and I was forced to leave for the
entire season. However, due to my profound love for the sport I still enjoyed watching as
much as I could.
Even though I wasn’t be able to physically play in junior year, I spent so much time
understanding the dynamics within the field. The relationship between the pitcher and the
batsmen to comprehend if there was a correlation between small changes that the pitcher
takes and the outcome of the batter.
Aim:
The motive for this IA is to explore the factors that influence a batter in terms of their
game performance. This can be explored through understanding what occurs to the ball
coming at them from the pitcher. These are generally tactics that pitchers use totrickthe
batter into taking a false swing. This is important for me as I am the batter and want to
understand how it impacts my performance.
Research Question:
How can I optimize my performance in order to perform well in tournaments such as
IASAS?
Introduction:
There are many factors that can contribute towards the overall success or failure of
the batter when it comes to hitting the ball. After collecting my data I am going to use
calculus, trigonometry, and probability to further understand the optimization of
performance. I want to use probability to see the highest chance of me hitting the ball at a
higher speed, since at IASAS there will be very good pitchers that may pitch at faster speeds
than i’m used to. I plan on using trigonometry to measure the angle of my bat and try
, comparing that with some of the top softball and baseball players, allowing me to analyze the
optimal angle. Lastly I can use calculus to integrate the function and find the optimal
distance from the pitcher that will allow for my most enhanced performance.
Methodology:
Calculating Probability:
One of the main factors that impacts any decision the batter makes is the speed of
which the ball is coming at the batter. It is extremely important for a softball player to train
with different speeds of balls coming at them, however it is impossible to predict the speed of
the ball based on a pitcher. Therefore, there is an advantage of being a batsmen lower down
the batting line as your teammates would bat before you and it is possible to gauge the speed
of the pitcher. Nontheless in my case, I practiced with a pitching machine at different speeds
and was able to collect data on the number of hits per each speed range.
Figure 1:Speed (km/hr) VS number of hits
Speed (km/hr) # of hits
30-40 29/30
40-50 14/30
50-60 7/30
60-70 5/30
70-80 4/30
Above is the raw data I collected about how many hits I was able to get based on each
range of speeds. I realized that my chances of hitting most of the balls is at 30-40km/hr but
the average speed of a Fastpitch Softball pitcher for the age range of 16-17 is 50-56km/hr
(“Average Softball Pitching Speeds by Age - Fastpitcher | Fastpitch Softball”).
Therefore this makes me wonder: what are the chances of hitting the balls in the
second half of the hits? To calculate this, I can find the conditional probability to show the
chance the balls are hit but for each speed range. I was able to collect the second half of the
balls pitched by counting the last 15 balls from the video recording. As each speed range
pitched a total of 30 balls, I am able to observe the last 15 balls pitched and further calculate
