ASSESMENT OF A NEW METHOD HIGHLIGHTING COGNITIVE ATTRIBUTES WITH TABLE TENNIS ATHLETES

Abstract

Table tennis is among sports that are difficult to learn and perform. The athlete has to perceive the ball within a small space, in various rotations, aiming at different points on the table in various speeds, and perform the correct action. Thus, assessing and improving the athletes’ attention, perception, fast learning and adaptation skills are of significant importance in training top-tier athletes. This study evaluates fast learning, visual perception and adaptation skills of national athletes using Selective Action Array, developed recently for the study. Out of 2014 Balkan Youth Table Tennis Championship athletes, 11 male and 11 females participated in the study. For the Selective Action Array, a table tennis robot was utilized. Robot was set up to send a total of 26 balls in 3 different colors (6 whites, 10 yellows, 10 pinks) to different areas of the table, in random colors and at the rate of 90 balls per minute. The participants were asked to ignore the white balls, to touch the yellow balls and to grab the pink balls using their dominant hands. Pursuant to explaining the task to the participants, two consecutive trials were executed and recorded using a camera. Every action performed/not performed by the participants was transformed into points in the scoring system. First trial total points in the Selective Action Array were 124±15 for males and 108±13 for females, whereas on the second trial the total points were 136±15 and 119±8, respectively. The higher scores obtained in the second trial were significant. Success rates for males were higher than females in both trials based on the percentage of correct actions executed in relation with the ball. The most significant difference between males and females was observed in white ball success rates. The highest increase in the rate of success in the second trial as compared to the first was observed in yellow balls for females and in pink balls for males. Table tennis players usually react to every ball on their side of the table; hence our request to ignore the white balls in our selective action array became a handicap for all. The study aimed to evaluate the adaptation skills, learning speed, focus span and visual perceptions of athletes quantitatively via our experimental Selective Action Array. This method, which could also be applied to other sports branches, could introduce a different point of view to evaluate cognitive attributes, which are as important as condition and motor skills in sports.