Table tennis match analysis: a review.

In table tennis, many different approaches to scientific founded match analysis have been developed since the first ones in the 1960s. The aim of this paper is to give a review on some of the most acknowledged methods of match analysis in table tennis. The first chapter presents a historical overview of match analysis from all over the world. The second part reviews different approaches to match analysis in more detail, using the performance analysis classification of theoretical and practical performance analysis. The review includes the most actual theoretical performance analysis techniques in table tennis: performance indices, simulative approaches, momentum analysis, footwork analysis, and finally an approach which uses top expert knowledge for a comprehensive technical-tactical analysis. In the section of practical performance analysis, the paper presents two "best practice" examples describing performance analysis procedures of the two most successful countries of the last Olympics: China and Japan. The paper ends with a summary on the impact of the different approaches and gives an outlook on promising new developments.

Match analyses of table tennis in China: a systematic review.

This study is a systematic review of match analyses of table tennis that can be used for reference in China. Using the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) as the search tool and "table tennis" as the keyword, we searched for all papers on table tennis published in Chinese core sports journals between 1980 and 2016. Then, we read through 1209 papers and divided them into different categories according to their publication types and main topics. Among them, 128 papers on match analyses met three inclusion criteria, and hence they were chosen as the reviewed studies. The results show that match analyses of table tennis in China have a sound research foundation, with the "three-phase evaluation method" and research on different topics playing an active role in helping coaches and players understand table tennis matches. Computer-aided match analysis not only enhanced the capacity and speed of data processing, but it also facilitated coaches' and players' understanding of tactical features by video feedback and multimedia presentation. Although match analyses of table tennis based on different theories or models are still in a preliminary stage, these studies are indeed pushing the development of this field.

Clinical Evaluation of the Adult Recreational Tennis Player.

Tennis is the most popular international racket sport with well-demonstrated health benefits. There are differences in injury patterns in elite and junior level tennis players compared with the adult recreational tennis player. The aim of this article was to review the medical and musculoskeletal evaluation of the adult recreational tennis athlete and review evidence-based guidelines for providers who encounter these athletes.

The activity intensities reached when playing active tennis gaming relative to sedentary gaming, tennis game-play, and current activity recommendations in young adults.

Although active gaming is popular and can increase energy expenditure in young adults, its efficacy as a prescriptive exercise tool is not well understood. This study aimed to: (a) compare the activity intensities experienced by young adults while playing active tennis gaming with conventional sedentary gaming, tennis game-play, and current activity recommendations for health; and (b) identify changes in activity intensities across playing time. After habitualization, 10 active young adults (age: 20.2 ± 0.4 years; stature: 1.74 ± 0.03 m; body mass: 67.7 ± 3.3 kg) completed 3 experimental trials (sedentary gaming, active tennis gaming, and tennis game-play) on separate days in a randomized order. Heart rate (HR) and metabolic equivalents (METs) were averaged across 5 minutes and 10 minutes intervals, and the entire 20 minutes bout within each condition. Active gaming produced greater intensities across 5-10, 10-15, and 15-20 minutes time intervals compared with sedentary gaming (p < 0.01). Tennis game-play elicited greater HR (67 ± 5% HR(max)) and METs (5.0 ± 0.2) responses than both sedentary (40 ± 2% HR(max), 1.1 ± 0.1 METs) and active gaming (45 ± 2% HR(max), 1.4 ± 0.1 METs) (p < 0.001). Only tennis game-play produced activity intensities meeting current recommendations for health benefit. Lower HR intensities were reached across 0-5 minutes than during later time intervals during active gaming (6%) and tennis game-play (9%) (p < 0.01). Activity intensities elicited by active gaming were greater than sedentary gaming but less than tennis game-play and insufficient to contribute toward promoting and maintaining good health in young adults. These data suggest that active tennis gaming should not be recommended by exercise professionals as a substitute for actual sports participation in young adults.

Scaling Constraints in Junior Tennis: The Influence of Net Height on Skilled Players' Match-Play Performance.

PURPOSE: The net height in tennis (0.91 m) is approximately 50% of a professional tennis player's height. Children are also expected to play with this net height, even though it is approximately 70% of the average 10-year-old's height. This study examined the immediate effect of lowering net height on the performance characteristics of skilled junior tennis players aged 10 years and younger. METHOD: Sixteen players were matched in 8 pairs of even tennis ability and same sex. Each pair played 25-min singles matches in 4 conditions that varied in net height (0.91 m, 0.78 m, 0.65 m, and 0.52 m). Match-play characteristics were analyzed via video replay. RESULTS: Results showed that lowering the net height to 0.65 m and 0.52 m led to players adopting a more attacking style of play, as evidenced by a significant increase in the number of winners without a commensurate increase in errors and more shots struck inside the baseline. Lower nets also led to a greater percentage of successful first serves. The lowest net (0.52 m), however, reduced rally length significantly and therefore decreased hitting opportunities. CONCLUSION: These results offer support for equipment scaling to enhance match-play performance for skilled junior tennis players. We propose that current net height recommendations for junior tennis should be revised.

Authentic evaluation of forehand groundstrokes in young low- to intermediate-level tennis players.

PURPOSE: In the present study the ForeGround test, a new procedure to assess forehand groundstroke performance in rally patterns authentic to low- and intermediate-level tennis play, was evaluated as to its value for research purposes. METHODS: The ForeGround protocol was enacted on a midi tennis court. It consists of 18 programmed rallies, reproducing neutral and offensive situations as they occur during midi tennis game play, driven by a test leader. Quality of the forehand groundstrokes was determined from simultaneous measurements of success rate, precision of lateral and longitudinal ball placement, and ball velocity. A velocity-precision (VP) and velocity-precision-success (VPS) index were calculated to reveal interactive effects. The validity and sensitivity of the ForeGround procedure in the target population were determined by verifying whether test scores reflected minor differences in tennis experience. RESULTS: More experienced players scored significantly higher than beginning players for success rate, ball velocity, precision of ball placement, VP, and VPS. High to moderate intraclass correlation coefficients in this open skill test indicated satisfactory test reliability. CONCLUSION: It was concluded that the ForeGround procedure is a concise, authentic, sensitive, accurate, reliable, and valid instrument for the assessment of forehand groundstroke quality in low- to intermediate-level tennis players.

Season of birth distribution of elite tennis players.

In many competitive sports, the use of a cut-off date for junior competition has been associated with a skewed birth date distribution in junior and senior players. The International Tennis Federation uses a junior competition year that commences on 1 January. The purpose of the current investigation was to describe the birth date distribution of 448 elite senior tennis players and 476 elite junior tennis players. There was a significant season of birth bias among elite senior players (P < 0.001), with 58.9% being born in the first 6 months of the year. There was also a significant season of birth bias among elite junior players (P < 0.001), with 59.5% being born in the first 6 months of the year. This pattern was observed in both male and female players as well as in players from different regions. The results provide evidence that it is the cut-off date for the junior competition year that is responsible for the skewed birth date distribution in tennis rather than regional or climatic factors.