| Summary: | Since baseball players must grip and pinch
the ball, grip strength is paramount. However, current assessments on various
grip types need to be more comprehensive. This study aimed to determine the
test-retest reliability of different handgrip strengths measured by a dynamometer
connected to a player’s smartphone. Sixty male baseball players sponsored by
secondary schools (middle- and high-schools) or colleges varying in age (12–22
years) were selected as participants. For male baseball players, three types of
grip strengths were evaluated using a dynamometer and smartphone application:
power, pinch, and tripod grip. The test was conducted thrice for each grip.
Overall grip strength measurements showed slight decreases across tests and
tended to increase with academic grade level. Tests 1 and 2 indicated
good-to-excellent retest reliability for three grip strength positions by
determining their intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) (middle-school power
grip: 0.917 (0.644–0.973); collegiate pinch grip: 0.920 (0.770–0.970);
high-school tripod grip: 0.929 (0.728–0.976)). In addition, these results
determined moderate reliability compared to other grip strengths in the three
groups (middle-school tripod grip from Tests 1 and 2: 0.779 (0.428–0.914);
collegiate power grip from Tests 2 and 3: 0.738 (0.360–0.895)). This study
concluded that the studied grip strength tests are reliable measurements, with an
acceptable margin of error, for male baseball players from childhood to
adulthood. Therefore, these handgrip strengths may be used as preliminary values
to help discipline and rehabilitate baseball players and other athletes.
|
|---|