A Tennis Forehand-Backhand Drive Skill Test Which Measures Ball Control and Stroke Firmness

Abstract

A tennis skill test for use in quantifying achievement in the forehand and backhand drive strokes was developed and then validated using 76 college women enrolled in beginning tennis classes. The test consisted of returning balls pitched by a pneumatic ball machine into target areas drawn in chalk on a regulation tennis court. Speed of the subjects' shots was assessed by measuring accumulated time in flight for rounds of 10 trials using a stopwatch. A time factor was then employed to correct the target value total for the trials to adjust for ball speed, thus rewarding the more skilled player who could stroke the ball more firmly while still retaining control. The test-retest reliability of the test was found to be .84, while the validity of the test, using judges' ratings as a criterion, was .83. It was concluded that the test was a valid and reliable test of skill which was closely related to the actual game situation. Percentile norms were developed on a limited number of subjects.

Key Words:

• skill testing
• tennis