Investigating the relationship between swing weight and swing speed across different sports using historical data

In many sports, the maximum swingspeed of a racket, club or bat is a key performance parameter. Previous research has suggested that a logarithmic relationship exists between the resultant swingspeed and the swingweight/moment of inertia of the implement. However, these studies have only focussed on one specific sport and relatively little is known about the effect of swingweight on swingspeedacross the wider spectrum of sport. Data was collated on the swingspeeds achieved in numerous sports that employ an implement and a swinging motion. A range of typical swingweights were determined for the various implements and the data normalised to common conventions such that comparisons could be made. This meta-analysis established a new relationship between swingweight and swing acceleration, valid across the wide range of implements considered. This relationship was found to be of the form a=C/Im, where C is a player constant and m=0.59 (p<0.01).