Development of a Screening Tool for Functional Movements in Tennis

Abstract

Introduction: Despite the importance of the functional movement screening tool and the prevalence rate of 4.34 injuries per 1000 hours in tennis, there is no standard protocol for functional movement screening specific to tennis. Therefore, this study aims to develop a tool for screening functional movements in tennis.Methods: the statistical population for qualitative data in this research includes all experts and specialists in the field of tennis, including coaches, teachers, and physiotherapists, and 18 of them were randomly selected as a statistical sample. Data collection was done through structured interviews. The interviews were mainly held in tennis academies, doctors' and physiotherapists' offices, and university faculty members' offices. Six classes of tests that were comprehensive enough to achieve the desired tool were designed with eleven questions in the qualitative questionnaire for these six classes. After defining the initial tests, the interviews were coded; then the codings were controlled and verified. Interview data were analyzed through version 11 of MAXQDA.Results: The results of the interviews were analyzed to determine the qualified tests to be included in the tool. The analytical process determined initial codes, and finally, 27 tests out of 108 potential tests were identified.Conclusion: It seems that this tool is suitable and practical with features such as simple scoring, acceptable reliability and validity, the possibility of implementation in a short time, and the ability to be used in various researches.

Keywords

• prevention
• physical therapists
• risk assessment
• tennis
• applied kinesiology