International Journal of Racket Sports Science

The benefits of the 5-week Table Stars @school program as part of physical education in primary schools – A pilot intervention study

Irene R. Faber — 2025-02-27

The Table Stars @school program was launched in 2010 to serve as a first introduction to table tennis in primary school children. The main aims of this pilot intervention study were 1. to evaluate the effect of Table Stars @school on the perceptuo-motor skills and selective attention in primary school children in comparison to regular physical education and 2. to find out how many and which children benefited more from Table Stars @school compared to regular physical education. A pilot intervention study was carried out including 177 children between 6 to 12 years from two regular primary schools. All children were tested by means of four perceptuo-motor tests (static balance, walking backwards, speed while dribbling, eye-hand coordination) and a selective attention task (map mission). Both schools were exposed to both the Table Stars @school program and regular physical education in a different order. The results revealed no differences between the regular physical education classes and the Table Stars @school program on group level. However, both interventions showed different responders. Consequently, Table Stars @school seems to fit in as it meets the level of improvement of regular physical education classes and it can be of added value by addressing other children to improve perceptuo-motor skills and selective attention. Nevertheless, intensifying the program and/or integrating it into regular physical education is recommended to increase the effects and better add to the broader development of children.

Physiological, neuromuscular and perceived exertion responses in badminton games

Michael Phomsoupha — 2025-02-27

The purpose of this study was to characterise the physiological, neuromuscular and perceived exertion variables during a badminton match and to assess the influence of these variables on the characteristics of the game. Each variable was measured before, every ten minutes, and ten and twenty minutes after a badminton game. Using a lactate device, a heart rate monitor, an accelerometric system, a dynamometer, a camera and a Borg scale, twelve games between elite players were analysed. An increase was found in the heart rate, blood lactate and in the recovery time, while a decrease was found in the power output of the lower and upper limb joints and shot frequency. These results suggest the capability of the players to preserve a high intensity of performance for as long as possible despite general fatigue. The fatigue induced by changes in physiological variables is affected more by the intensity of the stroke rather than the duration of the rallies. The perceived exertion is thought to be a combination of attentional and neuromuscular fatigue rather than related to changes in metabolites. Consequently, in future studies, researchers and trainers should consider the fatigue state as a means to increase players’ ability.

Speed and spin differences between the old celluloid versus new plastic table tennis balls and the effect on the kinematic responses of elite versus sub-elite players

Marcus J. C. Lee — 2025-02-27

This study measured 1) the speed and spin differences between the old celluloid versus new plastic table tennis balls at pre ball-table impact and post ball-table impact when projected with topspin at 7.56 m.s^-1, and investigated 2) the effect this has on the kinematic responses of 5 elite versus 5 sub-elite players’ forehand topspin in response to topspin and backspin. Plastic balls were lower in both speed and spin at pre and post ball-table impact compared with celluloid balls but the magnitude of change in speed and spin for each ball material differed. During flight before impact plastic balls lost 3.98% more speed and 1.24% more spin than celluloid balls. Post ball-table impact, plastic balls showed a greater speed increment (0.69%) and smaller spin decrement (0.19%) than celluloid balls. Differences in players’ kinematic responses to the different ball materials were found only when players returned backspin shots. Players supinated their rackets more by 2.23% at ball-racket contact and produced 3.37% less ball spin when returning plastic compared with celluloid balls; an indication of an early adaptation to the lower spin rate of plastic balls. The lack of differences in kinematic response to topspin may be due to the similar changes in speed and spin of both types of ball at ball-table impact. It is not known if a higher initial ball projection velocity would evoke differences in movement responses from the players post ball-table impact but could be explored in future studies.

Axis Specific Player Load to Quantify Lower Limb Biomechanical Loading in Adolescent Badminton Players

Matthew James Wylde — 2025-02-27

While the use of accelerometer derived Player Load has become increasingly prominent, the limitation of this approach is that training load is reduced to a single number with no differentiation between the mechanisms of loading, resulting in a loss of context. As recovery from different loadings occurs at different rates, the inability to differentiate between the loading mechanisms could lead to under or over training in one or more of these mechanisms. This study sought to compare axis specific accelerometer derived Player Load with differential RPE scores to establish a means of quantifying the lower limb biomechanical load of adolescent badminton training, to try and understand some of the context into the Player Load number. It was postulated that the Player Load from the vertical axis would provide a more precise measure of lower limb loading as other loading parameters, such as upper body rotation observed during a smash, would be removed from the calculation. Nineteen adolescent badminton players (Age: 14.0 ± 0.8 y) based at a dedicated high-performance youth training environment wore a GPS-embedded accelerometer between the scapulae in a purpose-built vest during court-based training. After each training session, the participants provided two RPE scores, one localised for the legs and one for breathlessness. Overall low correlations were observed between the Player Load and RPE values. The Player Load for the vertical axis showed a stronger correlation with the RPE for breathlessness than the RPE for the lower limb stress. The results from this study suggest that axis specific Player Load from the vertical axis does not provide greater insight into lower-limb biomechanical load compared to overall Player Load in adolescent badminton players.

Is the level of eye-hand coordination and executive functioning related to performance in para table tennis players? – An explorative study

Irene R. Faber — 2025-02-27

The goal of this explorative study was to explore whether eye-hand coordination and executive functions (i.e. cognitive flexibility, attention control and information processing) are related to the performance level in para table tennis players. The data of 11 elite (age 15-54) and 11 non-elite para table tennis players (age 13-49) were analyzed. The results showed that the elite players performed better than the median norm values for cognitive flexibility and attention control while the non-elite players demonstrated slower information processing than the median norm values (p<0.05). The players’ competition rating correlated significantly with the eye-hand coordination, cognitive flexibility and information processing measures (p < 0.05). Players with a competition rating > 1000 points scored ≥ 24 catches per 30 s in the eye hand coordination task, whereas the players with < 1000 rating points score ≤ 18 catches per 30 s. In contrast, there was a clear overlap of scores between the players with > 1000 and < 1000 rating scores in the executive functions tests. The results present a first profile of para table tennis players regarding their eye-hand coordination and executive functions and the relationship of these constructs with the performance level. Long-term international cooperation is recommended to understand the value of the measured constructs to predict future successes.

Do left-handed players have a strategic advantage in table tennis?

Ivan Malagoli Lanzoni — 2025-02-27

The reasons for the overrepresentation of left-handed players (LHps) in some sports are widely discussed in the literature. In light of this debate, this study aimed to assess the associations between players’ handedness and selected performance indicators in table tennis, where LHps represent 25% of top-level players. A notational analysis was conducted on 20 men’s matches including any combination of players’ handedness. Participants were in the first 150 positions of the ITTF world ranking at the moment the matches were played. The table area of ball bouncing after serving, and the shot type used by the receiving and subsequently the serving player, were recorded for 1515 rallies. Each half of the table was divided into six equal rectangular areas. There was a significant effect of players’ handedness on percentage of ball bouncing in different areas. Specifically, LHps showed a greater capacity (or choice) to adjust the serve (in terms of areas of ball bouncing) than right-handed players (RHps) according to the opponent’s handedness. Furthermore, LHps used offensive shots more frequently. In conclusion, both play strategy and characteristics such as higher offensiveness, together may contribute to the success of LHps in table tennis. These findings emphasise the need for a multifactorial approach in future research aiming to understand why LHps may be advantaged in different sports.

Editorial

David Cabello Manrique — 2025-02-27

Racket Sports have been widely studied in science for the last years. The purpose of this Journal is to aggregate the most important advances and researches to affect the development and directions of racket sports science from now on.

To reflect on the importance and impact a specialized journal can have in the field, we can put some perspective on its development:

In 1993, the series of World Congresses in Science and Racket Sports took place, causing several publications to be released subsequently.
Sharp (1998), recorded the duration of the rallies and the work-rest ratio in squash, using technology.
The following years, the increase in computing power allowed to carry on studies with an unthinkable amount of data.