The effect of ocular dominance on the performance of professional baseball players.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of the study was to determine whether a performance difference exists between baseball players with "same" (right-right) and "crossed" (right-left) hand-ocular dominance.


METHODS
A cohort study design was used.


METHODS
Four hundred and ten major and minor league members of the Los Angeles Dodgers professional baseball team.


METHODS
Measurement of ocular dominance.


METHODS
Batting average and earned run average (ERA).


RESULTS
Same/crossed dominance (with P values in parentheses) are as follows: Batting averages: major league-0.271/0.251 (0.20); minor league-0.274/0.270 (0.57); ERA: major league-3.34/3.56 (0.66); minor league-4.00/4.20 (0.54).


CONCLUSIONS
Hand-ocular dominance patterns do not have an effect on batting average or ERA.
Laby
D M
DM
Jules Stein Eye Institute, University of California-Los Angeles, USA.
Kirschen
D G
DG
Rosenbaum
A L
AL
Mellman
M F
MF
D001484:Baseball; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology*; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009799:Ocular Physiological Phenomena