The Ritsumeikan Uji High School baseball team has been working on batting motion analysis using motion capture technology since last academic year, with the cooperation of Professor Hajime Horiuchi, Specially Appointed Professor at the College of Sport and Health Science, Ritsumeikan University.

This academic year, measurements were conducted in December, and on January 15 (Thursday), the analysis results based on the collected data were shared with all members of the baseball team. From a scientific perspective, Professor Horiuchi provided detailed explanations on the key factors necessary to increase swing speed and hit the ball farther, enabling students to deepen their understanding as they learned.

On the day of the feedback session, many questions were raised, as the students had prepared in advance by studying specialized knowledge. Even after the session ended, several students continued to ask individual questions, and Professor Horiuchi kindly provided thorough guidance, including feedback, for approximately three hours.

Professor Horiuchi has also fully launched motion capture measurements for the Ritsumeikan University baseball team since this autumn. As a result, the university team has shown significant improvement in batting performance since the spring league and achieved its first autumn league championship in six and a half years. Furthermore, at the Meiji Jingu Baseball Tournament held in November, the team accomplished the remarkable achievement of finishing as national runners-up for the first time in its history. These advancements clearly reflect the impact of cutting-edge scientific analysis and continuous support.

In addition, Iwama, the No. 3 batter, and Hoshino, the cleanup hitter (No. 4) of the Ritsumeikan University baseball team are graduates of Ritsumeikan Uji High School, and their continued success is eagerly anticipated.

The Ritsumeikan Uji High School baseball team will continue to work toward improving athletic performance by incorporating scientific perspectives through ongoing collaboration with the university.