Perceiving the affordance of string tension for power strokes in badminton: Expertise allows effective use of all string tensions

Abstract

Affordances mean opportunities for action. These affordances are important for sports performance and relevant to the abilities developed by skilled athletes. In racquet sports such as badminton, different players prefer widely different string tension because it is believed to provide opportunities for effective strokes. The current study examined whether badminton players can perceive the affordance of string tension for power strokes and whether the perception of affordance itself changed as a function of skill level. The results showed that string tension constrained the striking performance of both novice and recreational players, but not of expert players. When perceptual capability was assessed, perceptual mode did not affect perception of the optimal string tension. Skilled players successfully perceived the affordance of string tension, but only experts were concerned about saving energy. Our findings demonstrated that perception of the affordance of string tension in badminton was determined by action abilities. Furthermore, experts could adjust the action to maintain a superior level of performance based on the perception of affordance.

Keywords:

• affordances
• constraints
• motor expertise
• badminton

Acknowledgements

The authors thank USA Badminton (Colorado Springs, CO) and Yonex USA (Torrance, CA) for sponsoring racquets and strings that were used in the experiments. Thanks also to Bill Becker in the electronic shop of Arts & Science Research Support at the University of Wyoming. This research project was also partially supported by a University of Wyoming NIH INBRE equipment grant, and a Division of Kinesiology and Health equipment grant.