A Study on quantification and application of serve ball speed and spin rate in Japanese female paralympian wheelchair tennis player

• Published in: Research Journal of Physical Arts Vol. 25; no. 1; pp. 21 - 32
• Main Authors: SATO, Bumpei, SATO, Shuhei, FUNATO, Kazuo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: Society for the Studies of Physical Arts 15.03.2020
• Subjects: feedback; female Paralympian; rpm; serve; speed; wheelchair tennis
• ISSN: 1340-4393; 2436-8032
• DOI: 10.51078/physicalarts.2020.002

Sato et al. (2019) evaluated serve velocity and number of ball rotations among Japanese male Paralympic wheelchair tennis players and found that on a regression line, the values for players at higher competition levels were closer to the values at the upper-right corner of the graph in speed (X axis) and rpm (Y axis) (fig 2). However, there are no studies on serve velocity and ball rotations among Japanese female Paralympic wheelchair tennis players. Therefore, the present study aimed to quantify the serve velocity and ball rotations among Japanese female Paralympic wheelchair tennis players who compete at high levels worldwide. We also investigated whether these values could help Japanese female wheelchair tennis players (FP) in improving their serve performance.The results were as follows:1. The serve velocities and ball rotations for FP were 104.2 ± 4.9 km/h and 1741.1 ± 272.9 rpm with a flat serve, 101.8 ± 3.0 km/h and 1774.2 ± 196.6 rpm with a slice serve, and 91.9 ± 4.2 km/h and 2468.8 ± 157.3 rpm with a kick serve, respectively.2. Of the 3 types of serves performed by FP, the serve velocity and number of rotations did not differ significantly between the flat and slice serves, although significant differences were observed between the flat and kick serves or between the slice and kick serves.3. In the regression formulae for the subjects' serve velocities and ball rotations calculated using TRACKMAN, the correlation coefficients for FP and female university top tennis players (FUT) were -0.96 and -0.68, respectively, with all values showing a significant negative correlation (trade-off relationship). On analyzing the data recorded for FP and FUT, we found that the values for FUT, who competed at a higher level, tended to be closer to the values in the upper-right corner compared to those for FP of the graphs in speed (X axis) and rpm (Y axis) (fig 2).4. FP reflected, “After I hit balls, the feeling I had hitting them was very close to the serve velocities and ball rotations I got as feedback" and “As immediate feedback, the measurements helped me regulate my hitting skills." These statements suggest that such measurements can contribute towards improving the serve performance of wheelchair tennis players.