Dynamic interaction of baseball bat and ball at swing

Due to the regulation enforced by the Japan High School Baseball Federation requiring the use of low-rebound metal bats, a debate has arisen over whether low-rebound metal bats or wooden bats can hit the ball farther. In this study, we focused on the bending (flexibility) of the bat to discuss this issue, assuming both bats have the same coefficient of restitution. As a result, it was found that a player who can swing the tip of the bat at a maximum speed of 141 km/h is able to swing a wooden bat 7.8 km/h faster than a metal bat. This was the first study to reveal that, when ignoring air resistance, a ball pitched at 140 km/h and hit back at a launch angle of 30 degrees would travel approximately 7.2 meters farther when using a wooden bat.