Anticipatory Timing of Beginning and Intermediate Tennis Players

Abstract

34 beginning and 16 intermediate players were required to view film clips which showed a player serving. The film was edited so the subject would see only a limited part of the service motion and/or ball flight. The four restricted viewing conditions were as follows: 10 msec, before contact (Prior), 0 msec. (Contact), 15 msec, after contact (Immediate), and 30 msec. after contact (Flight). Based on the limited visual information, the subject indicated on a specially designed score sheet the position in which the serve landed in the deuce service court (both latitude and longitude). Analyses of variance for mean percent correct responses indicated that intermediate players were significantly more successful in plotting the latitude of the ball's position than were the beginners. Longer viewing times significantly improved both groups' ability to predict the terminal location of the ball.