Search Results (5)

Racket sports are very popular not only in professional sports but also among recreational players. As a result, their impact on the field of education has grown significantly in recent years. Table tennis (TT) offers significant advantages in terms of skill acquisition and health improvement. Nevertheless, its application within physical education (PE) curricula remains undetermined. The aim of this systematic review was to analyze the use of TT as educational content in the subject of PE in primary school. The PRISMA 2020 methodology was used to conduct the systematic review. Six databases (ERIC, Pubmed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Sport Discus, and Web of Science) were used during the search process. The search cutoff date was December 31, 2024. After applying the eligibility criteria, 3595 articles were found. Only seven studies were selected for the final analysis and the data included 1526 students from primary school. The results indicate that TT is rarely used in primary education during PE classes. Research indicates interest among teachers and students in playing it during PE. Furthermore, due to the benefits, motivation, and interest this sport generates, educational experiences have been developed, such as roundtable discussions, table top tennis, balloon TT, and TT triathlon. A lack of materials, facilities, and teacher training for teaching this sport is notable. The teaching experiences analyzed in this review confirm that TT is a highly versatile and interesting sport as a subject matter in school PE. The use of TT allows for innovative, comprehensive, and inclusive PE, thanks to the sport’s multiple possibilities. Given its adaptability and low entry barrier, TT could serve as an effective tool for increasing children’s physical activity levels, improving motor skills, and fostering social–emotional development. However further research is needed to quantify its impact on health outcomes such as cardiovascular fitness or obesity prevention. Full article

This study investigated the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) technology in table tennis education compared to traditional training methods. A 12-week randomized controlled trial was conducted with 120 participants divided equally between VR and traditional training groups. Performance metrics, learning motivation, and satisfaction were assessed at regular intervals. Results demonstrated significant advantages of VR training, with the VR group showing superior improvements in serve accuracy (23.5% vs. 15.8%, p < 0.001), rally endurance (an increase of 8.2 vs. 5.7 shots, p < 0.01), and overall skill scores (18.7 vs. 13.2 points improvement, p < 0.001). The VR group also exhibited higher increases in learning motivation (23.5% vs. 12.8%, p < 0.001) and satisfaction (31.5% vs. 18.7%, p < 0.001). Subgroup analysis revealed particular benefits for novice players and younger participants. These findings suggest that VR technology offers a promising approach to enhance table tennis education, potentially revolutionizing sports training methodologies. Future research should focus on long-term skill retention and the optimization of VR training protocols. Full article

Background: This study presents an intelligent table tennis e-training system based on a neural network (NN) model that recognizes data from sensors built into an armband device, with the component values (performances scores) estimated through principal component analysis (PCA). Methods: Six expert male table tennis players on the National Youth Team (mean age 17.8 ± 1.2 years) and seven novice male players (mean age 20.5 ± 1.5 years) with less than 1 year of experience were recruited into the study. Three-axis peak forearm angular velocity, acceleration, and eight-channel integrated electromyographic data were used to classify both player level and stroke phase. Data were preprocessed through PCA extraction from forehand loop signals. The model was trained using 160 datasets from five experts and five novices and validated using 48 new datasets from one expert and two novices. Results: The overall model’s recognition accuracy was 89.84%, and its prediction accuracies for testing and new data were 93.75% and 85.42%, respectively. Principal components corresponding to the skills “explosive force of the forearm” and “wrist muscle control” were extracted, and their factor scores were standardized (0–100) to score the skills of the players. Assessment results indicated that expert scores generally fell between 60 and 100, whereas novice scores were less than 70. Conclusion: The developed system can provide useful information to quantify expert-novice differences in fore-hand loop skills. Full article

Background and Objectives: The popularity of table tennis has increased globally. As a result, the biomechanical movement patterns in the lower limb during table tennis have attracted extensive attention from coaches, scientists and athletes. The purpose of this study was to compare the differences between the long and short chasse steps in table tennis and evaluate risk factors related to injuries in the lower limb. Materials and Methods: Twelve male elite athletes performed forehand topspin strokes with long and short chasse steps in this study, respectively. The kinematics data of the lower-limb joints were measured by a Vicon motion analysis system. The electromyograms (EMG) of six lower-limb muscles were recorded using a myoelectricity system. Results: The key findings were that the angle change rate of the ankle in the long chasse step was faster with a larger range of motion (ROM) in the coronal and transverse planes. The hip was also faster in the sagittal and transverse planes but slower in the coronal plane compared with the short chasse step. In addition, the vastus medialis (VM) was the first activated muscle in the chasse step. Conclusions: The hip and ankle joints in the long chasse step and the knee joint in the short chasse step have higher susceptibility to injury. Moreover, tibialis anterior (TA), vastus medialis (VM) and gastrocnemius (GM) should be sufficiently stretched and warmed prior to playing table tennis. The results of this study may provide helpful guidance for teaching strategies and providing an understanding of potential sport injury mechanisms. Full article