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. 2017 Jan 30:55:127-138.
doi: 10.1515/hukin-2017-0012. eCollection 2017 Jan 1.

The Dutch Technical-Tactical Tennis Test (D4T) for Talent Identification and Development: Psychometric Characteristics

Nikki Kolman  1 , Barbara Huijgen  1 , Tamara Kramer  2 , Marije Elferink-Gemser  1 , Chris Visscher  1
Affiliations

The Dutch Technical-Tactical Tennis Test (D4T) for Talent Identification and Development: Psychometric Characteristics

Nikki Kolman et al. J Hum Kinet. .

Abstract

This study examined the test-retest reliability, validity and feasibility of the newly developed Dutch Technical-Tactical Tennis Test (D4T). This new test is relevant for talent identification and development in tennis. Thirty-two youth male tennis players (age 13.4 ± 0.5) were classified as elite (n = 15) or sub-elite (n = 17) according to their position on the national youth ranking list under 15 years (cut-off rank 50) in the Netherlands. Games, rallies and different tactical situations (i.e. offensive, neutral and defensive) were simulated with a ball machine. Players had to return 72 balls to predetermined target areas. Stroke quality was recorded based on ball velocity and accuracy (VA-index), as well as percentage errors. Test-retest reliability was assessed by comparing differences between the first and second test-session (n = 10). An intraclass-correlation coefficient of .78 for the VA-index was found (p < .05), indicating excellent test-retest reliability. Independent t-tests revealed that elite players outscored sub-elite players for the VA-index, ball velocity, accuracy and percentage errors (p < .05), supporting good validity. Furthermore, a high correlation was found between the VA-index and individual positions on the youth ranking list (p = -.75; p < .001). The assessment of feasibility indicated that the D4T was applicable for instructors and coaches. In conclusion, the D4T was shown to be a reliable, valid and feasible test to measure technical-tactical characteristics of tennis performance in youth players.

Keywords: accuracy; ball velocity; field test; performance; racquet sports; youth sports.

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Figures

Picture 1
Picture 1
Representation of the half of tennis court including the dimensions of the target areas and the number of awarded points to bails landing m the areas
Picture 2
Picture 2
Representation of the (▲) offensive, (■) neutral and (●) defensive tactical situation and the complete test design. The forms represent the three ball projections in the tactical situations.
Figure 1
Figure 1
Bland-Altman plot for the test-retest reliability in youth tennis players (n = 10). The bold dotted line represents the difference in the mean VA-index between the first and the second test-session. The non-bold dotted lines represent the 95% limits of agreement (± 1.96 × SD). ICC: intra-class correlation coefficient (model: one-way random); * p < .05.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Representation of the relationship between the ranking and the VA-index in youth tennis players (n = 32)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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