Perceptual-cognitive training effect on the development of anticipation skills in tennis serve return

Perceptual training can be used to develop anticipation skills, however, is not commonly integrated into tennis practice sessions. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of perceptual-cognitive training based on video recordings of tennis serves, modified by temporal occlusion, on the development of anticipatory skills of high-performance tennis players and tennis beginners. A total of 32 participants were divided into intervention and control groups based on skill level. We used pre and post-test design with intervention and control groups. The intervention group underwent a 3-week video-based perception training program. Results revealed a perception-cognitive training led to greater anticipation performance in the intervention group of high-performance players compared to beginners. Furthermore, improvements were observed in specific occlusion conditions across skill levels with key moments of racket-ball contact. These findings indicate that video-based perceptual training can effectively enhance visual anticipation development of tennis players, and ought to be included as a method in the comprehensive training of tennis players.
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Bibliographic Details
Subjects:
Notations:sport games social sciences
Published in:International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching
Language:English
Published: 2025
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/17479541251346119
Document types:article
Level:advanced