Training anticipation for advanced and intermediate tennis players: a behavioural approach
Date
1995
Authors
Scott, David
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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to: (i) examine the ability of advanced and intermediate tennis players to accurately predict the type, depth, and width or tennis serves. and (ii) to examine the trainability of serve type. depth. and width identification by intermediate tennis players. In Experiment I subjects (N=38) viewed tennis serves, on a video and were asked to identify the type of serve, the depth of serve, and the width of serve. Ninety serves were presented at two different speeds (regular and slow motion) for a total of 180 video presentations. Performance or the advanced and intermediate tennis players, with respect to the three measures previously described were analysed and compared. There was a significant difference (p < .05) in the level of prediction accuracy between the groups for both speed of presentation. Post hoc analysis revealed however that no significant differences in prediction performance existed between the groups for serve depth and serve width at slow speed. Further analysis of prediction performance revealed significant correlations for both advanced and intermediate players at slow and regular speed. The results of the study suggest that differences in serve prediction performance between advanced and intermediate players may result from differing in formation detection, amount of information being processed. and processing peed. Experiment II concerned the assessment of the impact of a video training protocol on serve reception and return skill. A multiple baseline design across six subjects was implemented with pre and post intervention scores for serve return performance on court being recorded. Intervention consisted of series of video presentations of serves, all of which were occluded on contact. Subjects were asked to predict the type, depth and width of serve. A modified changing criterion design was implemented during intervention, that is, on reaching a certain predetermined level of performance accuracy, subjects progressed to a faster video play speed. On court results would suggest that performance did improve as a result of the video presentations.