Developing additional competition classes for athletes with intellectual impairments: Conceptual approach and efficacy of an ICF derived measure.

The purpose of para sport classification systems is to minimize the impact of impairment on competition outcome. Currently, athletes with intellectual impairment (II) compete in one class, regardless of the extent of activity limitation resulting from their impairment. Consequently, athletes with II that cause relatively minor difficulty in sport have a competitive advantage over athletes who have intellectual impairments that cause more significant advantage. This research investigated the efficacy of a measure of health-related functional impairment, derived from the World Health Organization International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF), as a tool to classify athletes with intellectual impairments (II) into groups with impairments that cause similar activity limitation. The first study used a Delphi technique to identify the most relevant codes within the ICF from which a measure of impairment presence and severity was derived. The second study investigated whether the measure could discriminate between groups of II athletes organized into three competition groups, and whether these groups could be predicted by ICF score. The ICF-based questionnaire shows promise as a conceptual approach and as a tool in this context, but this is a preliminary step before establishing a sport-specific approach to classification.

Conceptual model of sport-specific classification for para-athletes with intellectual impairment.

The present paper describes the conceptual basis of evidence-based classification of para-athletes with intellectual impairment (II). An extensive description of the theoretical and conceptual foundation of the system as currently conceived is provided, as are examples of its applications in the three sports included in the Paralympic programme for II-athletes in 2020 (i.e., athletics, swimming and table tennis). Evidence-based classification for II-athletes is driven by two central questions: i. How can intellectual impairment be substantiated in a valid and reliable way, and ii. Does intellectual impairment limit optimal sport proficiency? Evolution of the system and current best practice for addressing these questions are described, and suggestions for future research and development are provided. Challenges of understanding and assessing a complex (multifaceted and intersectional) impairment in the context of sport also are considered.

Whole-body morphological asymmetries in high-level female tennis players: A cross­sectional study.

This cross-sectional study aimed to examine the degree of whole-body morphological asymmetries in female tennis players. Data were collected in 19 high-level female tennis players (21.3 ± 3.4 years). Based on anthropometric measurements (upper arm, lower arm, wrist, upper leg and lower leg circumferences as well as elbow and knee widths) and dual x-ray absorptiometry research scans (bone mineral density (BMD), bone mineral content (BMC), lean mass (LM), fat mass (FM) as well as humerus, radio-ulnar, femur and tibia bone lengths), within-subject morphological asymmetries for both upper (dominant vs. non-dominant) and lower (contralateral vs. ipsilateral) extremities were examined. Upper arm (p = 0.015), lower arm (p < 0.001) and wrist circumferences (p < 0.001), elbow width (p = 0.049), BMD (p < 0.001), BMC (p < 0.001), LM (p = 0.001), humerus (p = 0.003) and radio-ulnar bone length (p < 0.001) were all greater in the dominant upper extremity. BMC (p < 0.001) and LM (p < 0.001) were greater in the contralateral lower extremity, whereas FM (p = 0.028) was greater in the ipsilateral lower extremity. This is the first study to report significant side-to-side differences in both upper and lower extremities in high-level female tennis players.

Kinematic Comparisons of the Shakehand and Penhold Grips in Table Tennis Forehand and Backhand Strokes when Returning Topspin and Backspin Balls.

Identifying the factors associated with table tennis performance may provide training information for competitive athletes and guide the general population for active participation. The purpose was to compare the joint, racket, and ball kinematics between the shakehand and penhold grips in table tennis forehand and backhand strokes when returning topspin and backspin balls in advanced male players. Nine penhold-grip players and 18 matched shakehand-grip players performed forehand and backhand strokes when returning topspin and backspin balls using their habitual grip styles, while the kinematics of the trunk, upper extremities, racket, and ball were collected. Racket angles were calculated as the relative motion of the racket to the forearm. For the forehand strokes, no significant differences were observed for ball or racket velocities between the two grips. The shakehand grip tended to demonstrate greater shoulder external rotation angles compared to the penhold grip. The shakehand grip resulted in racket flexion angular velocity compared to racket extension velocity for the penhold grip. For the backhand strokes, greater ball and racket velocities were observed for the shakehand grip. The shakehand grip generally demonstrated decreased final trunk left rotation angles, increased trunk right rotation angular velocities, decreased final shoulder abduction angles, increased shoulder adduction angular velocities, and increased forearm supination angular velocities. The two grips demonstrated similar peak racket and ball velocities but different shoulder rotation range of motion and racket motion in forehand strokes. The penhold grips resulted in decreased peak racket and ball velocities in backhand strokes, likely due to its decreased shoulder, elbow, and forearm motion and less aligned longitudinal axes between the racket and forearm. These findings may help understand the dominance of the shakehand grip over the penhold grip in elite athletes and provide information for grip selection, technique improvements, and exercise training.

The effect of one year of unstructured table tennis participation on motor coordination level among young recreational players / El efecto de un año de la participación no estructurada del tenis de mesa en el nivel de coordinación motora entre los jóvenes jugadores recreativos

Purpose: The aim of this study was to estimate the effect of unstructured table tennis participation on motor coordination level in young recreational players. Method: A retrospective quasi-experimental study, with ex post facto design, was conducted. Sample was extracted from a population of 207 students aged 12 to 15 years enrolled in a public full-time school. Experimental (n=18) and control (n=18) groups were formed, resulting in a final sample of 36 participants (17 girls, 19 boys). Table tennis participation was experienced inside the school of the participants and consisted of an unstructured activity in which the subjects played recreationally during 30-40 minutes, 3 to 5 times per week, during one year. Post-intervention measures were performed within one week after one-year of table tennis participation. Motor coordination level was assessed using the Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder. Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to examine between- and within-subjects differences. Results: Both groups showed higher values of motor coordination level over one-year. Tennis table participation group had significantly higher motor coordination levels than control group across both time periods (F=12.483, p=0.01). However, the interaction effect between tennis table participation and time was not significant (F=1.552, p=0.221). Conclusion: Motor coordination levels of young recreational players were not improved due to unstructured table tennis participation, even after one year of regular practice. The lack of adequate opportunities for practice may have led to these findings. Additional research involving both structured and unstructured practice of this sport should be pursued

Objetivo: El objetivo de este estudio fue estimar el efecto de la participación no estructurada del tenis de mesa en el nivel de coordinación motora en jóvenes jugadores recreativos. Método: Se realizó un estudio retrospectivo cuasi-experimental. Se extrajo una muestra de una población de 207 estudiantes de 12 a 15 años matriculados en una escuela pública a tiempo completo. Se formaron un grupo experimental (n=18) y control (n=18), resultando una muestra final de 36 participantes (17 chicas y 19 chicos). La participación en tenis de mesa se llevó a cabo dentro de la escuela de los participantes y consistió en una actividad no estructurada en la que los sujetos jugaban recreativamente durante 30-40 minutos, 3 a 5 veces por semana, durante un año. Las medidas post-intervención se realizaron una semana después de completar un año de participación en el tenis de mesa. El nivel de coordinación motora se evaluó utilizando el Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder. El análisis de la varianza de medidas repetidas se utilizó para examinar las diferencias entre los sujetos. Resultados: Ambos grupos mostraron mayores valores de coordinación motora a lo largo de un año. El grupo de participación en tenis de mesa tuvo niveles de coordinación motora significativamente más altos que el grupo control en ambos períodos de tiempo (F=12.483, p=0,01). Sin embargo, el efecto de interacción entre la participación en tenis de mesa y el tiempo no fue significativo (F=1.552, p=0,221). Conclusión: Los niveles de coordinación motora de los jugadores jóvenes recreativos no mejoraron debido a la participación no estructurada en el tenis de mesa, incluso después de un año de práctica regular. La falta de oportunidades adecuadas para la práctica puede haber llevado a estos hallazgos. Debería llevarse a cabo una investigación adicional que incluya tanto la práctica estructurada como la no estructurada de este deporte

A shot taxonomy in the era of tracking data in professional tennis.

Shots are an essential part of the language of tennis yet little is known about the distinct types of shots in the professional game. In this study, we build a taxonomy of shots for elite tennis players using tracking data from multiple years of men's and women's matches at the Australian Open. Our taxonomy is constructed using model-based multi-stage functional data clustering, an unsupervised machine learning approach. Among 270,023 men's and 178,136 women's shots, we found 13 distinct types of serves to both the Ad and Deuce court for male players and 17 and 15 types to the Ad and Deuce for female players. More variety was found among serve returns and rally shots compared to the serve; with less variety on the backhand than forehand. There was also more overlap in the physical characteristics of groundstroke shots between male and female players than on serve. Shot type was strongly associated with winning points and shots in the highest speed and lowest net clearance categories tended to be the most effective. This data-driven dictionary of shots provides a framework for analysis of elite player performance, characterizing playing style, and designing more representative practice.

Relación entre parámetros técnicos y fisiológicos en tenistas de competición / Relationship between technical and physiological parameters in competition tennis players

Durante los últimos años ha aumentado el interés para evaluar parámetros fisiológicos y técnicos en jugadores de tenis, actualmente existen pruebas que permiten registrar paralelamente estos parámetros en la misma pista de tenis. El objetivo de este estudio es determinar las relaciones entre parámetros técnicos y fisiológicos derivados de la aplicación de una prueba de resistencia específica en tenis. 38 jugadores de competición realizaron una prueba continua e incremental y se registraron parámetros técnicos (efectividad técnica (ET), punto de disminución de efectividad técnica (PDET)) y parámetros fisiológicos (consumo máximo de oxígeno (VO2max), primer y segundo umbrales ventilatorios (UV1 y UV2)). Se encontró una relación significativa entre PDET y UV2 (r=0,65; p<0,05) y entre ET y VO2max (r=0,459; p<0,01). En conclusión, los jugadores con mejor perfil aeróbico tendieron a obtener mejores resultados de ET y se observó una tendencia a disminuir la ET a partir de la aparición del UV2 (AU)

In recent years there has been an increased interest to assess physiological and technical parameters in tennis players; currently there are tests that allow registering these parameters in parallel on the tennis court. The aim of this study is to determine the relationships between technical and physiological parameters resulting from the application of a specific endurance test procedure for tennis players. 38 competitive male tennis players performed a continuous and incremental field test and technical (technical effectiveness [TE], point of decreasing TE [PDTE]) and physiological parameters (maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), first and second ventilatory thresholds (VT1 and VT2)) were recorded. We found a significant relationship between PDTE and VT2 (r = 0.365, P <0.05) and between TE and VO2max (r = 0.459, P <0.01). In conclusion, players with a better aerobic profile tended to get better results in terms of TE and showed a tendency to decrease TE from the appearance of VT2 (AU)

Upper limb joint kinetic analysis during tennis serve: Assessment of competitive level on efficiency and injury risks.

The aim of this work was to compare the joint kinetics and stroke production efficiency for the shoulder, elbow, and wrist during the serve between professionals and advanced tennis players and to discuss their potential relationship with given overuse injuries. Eleven professional and seven advanced tennis players were studied with an optoelectronic motion analysis system while performing serves. Normalized peak kinetic values of the shoulder, elbow, and wrist joints were calculated using inverse dynamics. To measure serve efficiency, all normalized peak kinetic values were divided by ball velocity. t-tests were used to determine significant differences between the resultant joint kinetics and efficiency values in both groups (advanced vs professional). Shoulder inferior force, shoulder anterior force, shoulder horizontal abduction torque, and elbow medial force were significantly higher in advanced players. Professional players were more efficient than advanced players, as they maximize ball velocity with lower joint kinetics. Since advanced players are subjected to higher joint kinetics, the results suggest that they appeared more susceptible to high risk of shoulder and elbow injuries than professionals, especially during the cocking and deceleration phases of the serve.

Consumo alimentar e perfil antropométrico de adolescentes tenistas / Food intake and anthropometric profile of adolescent tennis players

Anthropometric profile and food intake affect sports performance. The objective of this work was to describe and compare the food consumption and anthropometric profile of tennis players between 11 and 19 years old. A total of 48 tennis players were rated with the following age distribution: 11-14 years old (n=20) and 15 to 19 years old (n=28). The athletes were evaluated in relation with the anthropometric variables. Diets were as-sessed from 24-hour recall. There were significant differences in the an¬thropometric profile of athletes aged 15-19 years old compared to those aged 11-14 years old (body mass: 63.80±6.86kg and 54.29±11.33kg; height: 1.75±0,07m and 1.64±0.11m; right forearm: 26.14±1.41cm and 23.70±2.62cm; left forearm: 24.64±1.38cm and 22.48±2.38cm; right wrist: 16.71±0.72cm and 15.69±1.01cm; left wrist: 16.37±0.74cm and 15.36±1.12cm). There was no significant difference in the percentage of fat, 18.33±5.94 for 11-14 year-olds and 16.79±4.60 for 15-19 year-olds. An energy deficit was observed between the estimated energy needs and the energy consumption reported. There was significant difference in the consumption of carbohydrate, fat and protein between the age groups. Among the minerals, the main concern was the low consumption of calcium (11-14 years old: 724.36±397.94mg/day and 15-19 years old: 927.04±413.35mg/day). It was possible to observe significant differences in the anthropometric profile and food intake in relation to energy needs between the age groups. The deviations observed reinforce the need for nutritional guidance, technical training and fitness.

El perfil antropométrico y el consumo de alimentos afectan el rendimiento deportivo. El objetivo de este trabajo fue describir y comparar el consumo de alimentos y el perfil antropométrico de jugadores de tenis de 11 a 19 años. Se evaluaron las variables antropométricas de 48 jugadores, con la siguiente distribución: 11-14 años (n=20) y 15-19 años (n=28). Se evaluaron sus dietas a partir de recordatorio de 24 horas. Se encontraron diferencias significativas en el perfil antropométrico de los atletas de 15-19 años en comparación con los de 11-14 años (masa corporal: 63,80±6,86kg y 54,29±11,33kg, talla: 1,75±0,07m y 1,64±0,11m; antebrazo derecho: 26,14±1,41cm y 23.70±2.62cm; antebrazo izquierdo 24,64±1,38cm y 22,48±2,38cm; muñeca derecha 16,71±0,72cm y 15,69±1,01cm; muñeca izquierda: 16.37±0.74cm y 15.36cm y 1.12). No hubo diferencia significativa en el porcentaje de grasa en los jugadores de 11- 14 años (18,33±5,94) y en los de 15-19 años (16,79±4,60). Se observó déficit energético entre el requerimiento de energía estimado y el consumo de energía informado. Se encontraron diferencias significativas entre los grupos de edad en cuanto al consumo de hidratos de carbono, grasa y proteínas. Se observó baja ingesta de calcio (11-14 años: 724,36±397,94mg/día y 15-19 años: 927,04±413,35mg/día). Los desvíos observados refuerzan la necesidad de mayor educación nutricional, entrenamiento técnico y preparación física.

O perfil antropométrico e o consumo alimentar afetam o desempenho esportivo. O objetivo deste trabalho foi descrever e comparar o consumo alimentar e o perfil antropométrico de tenistas de 11 a 19 anos. Foram avaliados 48 tenistas, com a seguinte distribuição: 11-14 anos (n=20) e de 15 a 19 anos (n=28). Os atletas foram avaliados quanto às variáveis antropométricas. As dietas foram avaliadas a partir de recordatórios 24 horas. Houve diferença significativa no perfil antropométrico dos atletas de 15-19 anos em relação aos de 11-14 anos (massa corporal: 63,80±6,86kg e 54,29±11,33kg; estatura: 1,75±0,07m e 1,64±0,11m; antebraço direito: 26,14±1,41cm e 23,70±2,62cm e antebraço es¬querdo 24,64±1,38cm e 22,48±2,38cm; punho direito 16,71±0,72cm e 15,69±1,01cm; punho esquerdo: 16,37±0,74cm e 15,36cm e 1,12cm. Não houve diferença significativa quanto ao percentual de gordura, 18,33±5,94 para os de 11-14 anos e 16,79±4,60 para os de 15-19 anos. Observou-se déficit energético entre a necessidade energética estimada e a ingestão energética relatada. Houve diferença significativa quanto ao consumo de carboidrato, lipídio e proteína entre as faixas etárias. Entre os minerais, a principal preocupação foi a baixa ingestão de cálcio (11-14 anos: 724,36±397,94mg/dia e 15-19 anos: 927,04±413,35mg/dia). Desvios observa¬dos reforçam a necessidade de orientação nutricional, treinamento técnico e preparo físico.

Un estudio sobre indicios perceptivos para el resto en el servicio de tenis / A study on perceptual cues in returning tennis serves

Mediante análisis cinemático, han sido estudiados indicios perceptivos observables en el lanzamiento de lapelota, durante el servicio de tenis, para facilitar la respuesta anticipada de la jugadora que está al resto. Ocho profesionales,todas ellas mujeres (m = 67.13, SD = 29.38 del WTA ranking), fueron participantes del estudio en competición oficial. Elresultado principal del análisis multivariante, sobre doce variables espaciales y temporales, fue que existe una relación entreel vuelo de la pelota y la profundidad del servicio. Los valores cuantitativos obtenidos son: R = .917 y R2= .840 (F (9, 96) =56.007, p <.000), con β = 1.040 (p < .001) para el momento en que la servidora suelta la pelota. Este resultado concretoseñala la relevancia temática del concepto de “indicio perceptivo” para conseguir respuestas más rápidas y ajustadas entenis y otros deportes donde sea posible el estudio del contrario (AU)

Using a kinematic analysis, perceptual cues were studied through observing the ball toss in tennis serves inorder to facilitate the receiver’s anticipated response. Eight female professionals (m = 67.13, SD = 29.38 WTA ranking)participated in the study during an official competition. The main result of the multivariate analysis, which involved twelvespace and time variables, revealed a relationship between ball tossing and the depth of the serve. The quantitative valuesobtained were: R = .917 y R2= .840 (F (9, 96) = 56.007, p <.000), with β = 1.040 (p < .001) for the times in which theplayer released the ball. This specific result underscores the relevance of the concept of “perceptual cues” to achieve fasterand more accurate responses in tennis and also in other sports in which it is possible to study the opponent (AU)

Aspectos físicos y fisiológicos del tenis de competición (I) / Physical and physiological aspects of tennis competition (I)

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Association of birthdate with success of nationally ranked junior tennis players in the United States.

The objective was to assess the effect of birthdate on successful performance in tennis by junior tennis players in the United States and to address the question of whether "birthdate effect" persisted with ongoing age toward adulthood. The national rankings and birthdates of junior tennis players in each age division were obtained from the United States Tennis Association. The number of male and female junior tennis players ranked within the top 100 in their respective age divisions with birthdates in the first half of the year were counted and compared with the number of junior athletes born in the second half of the year. A significant chi squared for birthdate by success in tennis was present in the 14 years and under and 16 years and under age divisions for boys. This effect was less for older ages. Among girls, the effect of birthdate on tennis ranking was not significant in any age group. Among male junior tennis players in the 14 years and under and 16 years and under age divisions, athletes born in the first half of the year had an advantage over those born in the second half, but not for girls.