A TECHNICAL ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTS OF FATIGUE ON THE TENNIS SERVE OF UNIVERSITY TEAM PLAYERS

Abstract

The aims of this study were two-fold. The first priority was to analyse the effects of fatigue on the technique of 10 university team tennis players (N=6 Male, N=4 Female) and identify any significant changes in their technique between pre and post fatigued repetitions. The analysis was done using DartFish TeamPro Version 6. SPSS results revealed no significant differences between repetitions for 8 out of 9 performance indicators. The exception was that of the velocity of serves which showed a significant difference (p=0.14 < 0.05). The second objective was to suggest possible reasons for any changes in technique or performance and identify potential training methods which would help combat the effects that fatigue had on the participants serving performance. Key aspects of fitness that were identified as priorities were muscular strength, muscular endurance and speed. The study has laid down a base for further research into effects of training on tennis performance, in particular the breakdown of technique or detriment of performance, such as serve velocity, accuracy and consistency.