MEDICINA SPORTIVA - Journal of Romanian Sports Medicine Society

Coordinative skills and development of strength in young athletes tennis practice

The study was carried out with the aim to improve sports performance, by reducing the percentage of errors in the execution of specific technical gestures of tennis discipline by fostering the development of coordination skills and strength, comparing the results of the athletes having the dominant limb right with those ones having the dominant left limb. Athletes have done training planned by the staff of sports clubs and, from November 2015 until May 2016, carried out 22 additional sessions, 3 per month with conventional methods and with the Pilates method.
The research was carried out using a method of observation and manual data collection to track sports performance of a sample of 20 young male athletes, aged between twelve and fourteen practicing the game of tennis for a period of eight months. Tests, of strength and coordinative, were administered at the beginning and at the end of the observation period with athletes divided into two groups, A and B. The group A was made by athletes with left limb while the dominant B was formed by those ones with right dominant limb.
Final data showed a percentage improvement of about 5% for group A and about 7-8% for group B. The research sample was monitored as the game of tennis is a sport that exposes, for his solicitation predominantly unilateral, frequent postural imbalances that can affect sports performance of young athletes.