For beginners in amateur baseball: What to keep in your field of vision when batting.

Even after years of playing baseball, you can still discover something new about batting.
This time, I'd like to write an article about something I've recently noticed regarding field of vision in batting.
For some people, being aware of this might dramatically improve their hitting accuracy.

What should you look at when batting?

When a batter is facing an opposing pitcher at the plate, where should they be looking?
Of course, it's natural to focus on the tip of the opposing pitcher's dominant hand, the point where the ball comes out.

The ball is then released and passes by the batter.
Naturally, if you just watch it as is, you'll miss something.
Therefore, the point where you should stop watching the ball is up to the point where you will hit it.

So, should I focus on the ball from where it's released to where I hit it, and move my gaze as if I'm following it?
I don't feel that way.

What you should be watching is not the ball, but its trajectory.

Even if you focus on an object like a ball, the most information you can get from it is how it's rotating.
Well, spin is important too, because at a high level you can predict the direction of a curveball...
In any case, if you focus too much on the ball, your swing timing will be delayed.

This way of looking at the ball, focusing on it, is called central vision.
This viewing method is considered to have excellent resolution and is suitable for viewing stationary objects.

However, what's important for hitting is not how the ball spins or what color it is.
The important thing is the trajectory of the ball as it approaches.
Furthermore, the trajectory doesn't refer to the ball itself, but rather to the ball's movement.
To capture this effectively, you need to use peripheral vision rather than central vision.

How to use peripheral vision

Peripheral vision refers to the peripheral field of vision that appears blurry around the central field of vision.
Apparently there are proper training methods, but in my case, I deliberately avoid focusing and use my entire field of vision like peripheral vision.
周辺視は、ぼやっとした見方になる分、動きなどを捉えるのには向いているそうです。
I'm not entirely sure if this is the correct way to do it, but I wrote it down for reference.

Keep the ball's trajectory within your field of vision.

I wrote that peripheral vision is used to track the movement of a ball.
However, there's one more important thing.
It means keeping the ball's trajectory and your position within a single field of vision.
In other words, when the ball is thrown, you are looking at its source, but when it is thrown to your hand and you shift your gaze to your hand, it is not all within the same field of vision.
I feel that the movement of my head, which causes instability, leads to a decrease in my contact rate.
I felt that capturing the ball's trajectory within a single frame made it much easier to track the ball.

A batting form that doesn't obstruct the field of vision is also important.

また、視界の点から考えると、バッティングフォームも重要です。
When you raise the bat high in your batting form, your arm on the pitcher's side can get in the way, making it difficult to see the exact point where you want to hit the ball.
In that case, lowering your grip or keeping your armpit tightly closed on the pitcher's side will cause your shoulder to drop, and you'll be able to see the hitting point better.

summary

When batting, try using your peripheral vision to vaguely track the ball's trajectory.
Also, at that time, considering whether your form is obstructing your field of vision might lead to improvements.