Monitoring technical tennis performance under increasing physical intensity by the PTTF-test

Michel Smit; Marije Elferink-Gemser; Nikki Kolman; Barbara Huijgen

doi:10.30827/Digibug.74115

Michel Smit Faculty of Medical Sciences, Center for Human Movement Sciences, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen
Marije Elferink-Gemser Faculty of Medical Sciences, Center for Human Movement Sciences, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen
Nikki Kolman Faculty of Medical Sciences, Center for Human Movement Sciences, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen
Barbara Huijgen Faculty of Behavioural Sciences and Social Sciences, Department of Psychology, University of Groningen, Groningen

DOI: https://doi.org/10.30827/Digibug.74115

Keywords: racquet sports, field test, physical fitness, technical skills, tennis players, youth sports

Abstract

Monitoring technical skills under increasing physical intensity is important for determining a player’s performance level in tennis. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine to what extent the new Physical Technical Tennis-specific Field test (PTTF-test) was able to capture fluctuations in technical skill under increasing physical intensity in adolescent talented tennis players. Forty adolescent players (21 males, 19 females, mean age = 15.4 years) performed the PTTF-test until exhaustion (i.e., when they were not able to hit two subsequent oncoming balls with an adequate technique). Technical skills (stroke velocity, stroke accuracy, VA-index and percentage errors) were compared between physical intensity levels, age categories and genders. For all age categories and genders, physical intensity (heart rate) increased between the ‘BASELINE’-situation and the ‘FINAL’-situation (p<.001). All technical skills, i.e. stroke velocity, stroke accuracy, VA-index and percentage errors, decreased when comparing the FINAL intensity level to the BASELINE intensity level (p<.001). Players in older age categories (16+) reached a higher PTTFlevel and exhibited lower mean heart rates than players in the youngest age category (U14) in both the ‘BASELINE’-situation and the ‘FINAL’-situation depending on the level players reached (p<.01). These findings show that the PTTF-test is able to analyse and monitor the performance of technical skills under increasing physical intensity in adolescent talented tennis players.

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