THE EFFECT OF OCULAR DOMINANCE ON THE PERFORMANCE OF PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL PLAYERS

Objective: The purpose of the study was to determine whether a perform ance difference exists between baseball players with ''same'' (right-r ight) and ''crossed'' (right-left) hand-ocular dominance. Design: A co hort study design was used. Participants: Four hundred and ten major a nd minor league members of the Los Angeles Dodgers professional baseba ll team. Intervention: Measurement of ocular dominance. Main Outcome M easures: Batting average and earned run average (ERA). Results: Same/c rossed dominance (with P values in parentheses) are as follows: Battin g 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.