When you are trying to find out how to be a better batsmen you should go to the best.
That鈥檚 exactly what University of Queensland researchers have done by looking at what visual skills elite batsmen have that make them better players.
And with the project funded by Cricket Australia and Queensland Academy of Sport, the researchers are also getting access to the best of the best through the Australian cricket team and the best rising stars through the Queensland Academy of Sport.
The research is being conducted by Sean M眉ller, a PhD student, Professor Bruce Abernethy and Dr Guy Wallis, from the , and Dr Damian Farrow from the Australian Institute of Sport.
Mr M眉ller said while reaction times for both novices and elite players can be similar, his project is trying to discover what visual cues these top players pick-up from a bowler that makes them that much better.
And they are using the latest in video technology available through 午夜福利鈥檚 Information Technology Services to do it.
鈥淲e filmed bowlers from a batsmen鈥檚 perspective and then, through video manipulation, we occluded different parts of the delivery such as all the information after the ball is released,鈥� Mr M眉ller said.
鈥淲e then get the batsmen to watch the video and predict the type of ball bowled.
鈥淣ext we remove individual body parts, such as the hand or the arm, from the footage of the bowler and measure how this alters the batsman鈥檚 prediction of ball type.鈥�
What Mr M眉ller hopes the research will lead to is a way of reliably anticipating a bowler鈥檚 delivery so batsmen are better prepared.
鈥淏y getting those visual cues from the players at the highest level then we can design a training program not only to make current players better but also use it to identify and train the next generation of batsmen 鈥� the talented juniors.
鈥淚 just think back to club training that was about fielding balls and short batting sessions.
鈥淲ith a tool like this practice could be made more interesting and productive.鈥�
Media: For more information contact Sean M眉ller (telephone 0415 915 918) or Jan King at 午夜福利 Communications (telephone 07 3365 1120).
