Effect of target size on accuracy and precision of pitching in baseball

Even experienced pitchers cannot always throw a ball precisely to a target point. Nevertheless, pitchers sometimes try to throw to a small area, such as one section of a strike zone which has been divided into four or nine equal sections. It is unknown whether aiming at such a small zone is effective for improving the accuracy and precision of ball arrival positions. The purpose of this study was to clarify the effect of target size on accuracy and precision for baseball pitchers. To do so, we set two targets of different sizes—i.e., Big (0.60 m × 0.432 m = 0.259 m 2 ) and Small (0.20 × 0.144 m = 0.029 m 2 ) —at the same center position, and 23 collegiate baseball pitchers were asked to throw 25 balls at each target. The results showed that there were no significant differences in either accuracy or precision of ball arrival position between the two targets. That is, immediate effects of setting a smaller target on the accuracy and precision of pitching cannot be found.