Effects of Tennis Training on Cognitive Control and Visuospatial Skills

Year 2024, Volume: 9 Issue: 1, 89 - 99, 29.02.2024

Gökçe Akın , İlhan Odabaş , Billur Yarsuvat

https://doi.org/10.25307/jssr.1417013

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of accurate shot exercises in tennis on cognitive control and visuospatial skills. 15 sports science faculty student, 6 females and 9 males, aged between 18-22, with an average age of 18.53 were included in the research. Flanker Task and Spatial Visualization Test were applied to evaluate participants’ cognitive control and visuospatial skills. Tennis training was performed once a week, for half an hour, with 500 hits (forehand and backhand) and an average of 2000 hits in four weeks. After performing the normality test and descriptive statistics, Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test was applied to compare the pre-test and post-test. The findings showed that there were significant differences between pre-test and post-test scores in the spatial visualization test (p = 0.019), correct response rate in the flanker task (p = 0.02=), and difference in reaction time between congruent and incongruent conditions in the flanker task (p = 0.02). Consequently, it can be concluded that tennis training significantly improved participants’ cognitive control and visuospatial skills. The fact that tennis is a sport that requires the use of space and uses open skills may improve individuals’ cognitive control and visuospatial skills.

Keywords

Tennis, Cognitive control, Visuospatial skills

Tenis Antrenmanlarının Bilişsel Kontrol ve Görsel Uzamsal Beceriler Üzerindeki Etkisi

Abstract

incelemektir. Araştırmaya 18-22 yaşları arasında, yaş ortalaması 18.53 olan 6 kadın ve 9 erkek olmak üzere 15 spor bilimleri fakültesi öğrencisi dahil edilmiştir. Katılımcıların bilişsel kontrol ve görsel-uzamsal becerilerini değerlendirmek için Flanker Görevi ve Uzamsal Görselleştirme Testi uygulanmıştır. Tenis antrenmanı haftada bir gün, günde yarım saat, 500 vuruş (forehand ve backhand) ve dört haftada ortalama 2000 vuruş ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. Normallik testi ve tanımlayıcı istatistikler yapıldıktan sonra, öntest ve sontesti karşılaştırmak için Wilcoxon İşaretli Sıralar Testi uygulanmıştır. Bulgular, uzamsal görselleştirme testinde ön test ve son test puanları arasında (p= 0.019), flanker görevinde doğru tepki oranı (p=0.02), flanker görevinde uyumlu ve uyumsuz koşullar arasındaki tepki süresi farkı (p=0.02) açısından anlamlı farklılıklar olduğunu göstermiştir. Sonuç olarak, teniste isabetli vuruş çalışmalarının katılımcıların bilişsel kontrol ve görsel-uzamsal becerilerini önemli ölçüde geliştirdiği sonucuna varılabilir. Tenisin mekânın kullanımını gerektiren ve açık becerilerin kullanıldığı bir spor olması, bireylerin bilişsel kontrol ve görsel uzamsal becerilerini geliştiriyor olabilir.

Keywords

Tenis, Bilişsel Kontrol, Görsel-Uzamsal Beceriler

References

• Alves, H., Voss, M. W., Boot, W. R., Deslandes, A., Cossich, V., Salles, J. I., & Kramer, A. F. (2013). Perceptual-cognitive expertise in elite volleyball players. Frontiers in Psychology, 4, Article 36. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00036
• Chiu, C. N., Chen, C. Y., & Muggleton, N. G. (2017). Sport, time pressure, and cognitive performance. Progress in Brain Research, 234, 85-99. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.pbr.2017.06.007
• Cristofori, I., Cohen-Zimerman, S., & Grafman, J. (2019). Executive functions. Handbook of clinical neurology, 163, 197-219. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-804281-6.00011-2
• Davranche, K., Hall, B., & McMorris, T. (2009). Effect of acute exercise on cognitive control required during an Eriksen flanker task. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 31(5), 628-639. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsep.31.5.628
• Drollette, E. S., Shishido, T., Pontifex, M. B., & Hillman, C. H. (2012). Maintenance of cognitive control during and after walking in preadolescent children. Med Sci Sports Exerc., 44(10), 2017-24. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e318258bcd5
• Dyer, J. T. (1935). The backboard test of tennis ability. Res. Quart. 6 (Suppl), 63-74. https://doi.org/10.1080/23267402.1935.10761690
• Eriksen, B. A., & Eriksen, C. W. (1974). Effects of noise letters upon the identification of a target letter in a nonsearch task. Perception & Psychophysics, 16(1), 143-149. https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03203267
• García-González, L., Moreno, A., Gil, A., Moreno, M. P., & Villar, F. D. (2014). Effects of decision training on decision making and performance in young tennis players: An applied research. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 26(4), 426-440. https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200.2014.917441
• Glavaš, D. (2020). Basic cognitive abilities relevant to male adolescents’ soccer performance. Perceptual and Motor skills, 127(6), 1079-1094. https://doi.org/10.1177/0031512520930158
• Gokce, E., Gunes, E., Hayme, S., Aslan, E., Asutay, O., Asar, B., & Cevik, F. (2021). Effects of playing tennis on cognition: A pilot study to examine hand preference effect. Journal of Ankara University Faculty of Medicine, 74(1), 27-33. https://doi.org/10.4274/atfm.galenos.2020.30301
• Guo, W., Wang, B., Lu, Y., Zhu, Q., Shi, Z., & Ren, J. (2016). The relationship between different exercise modes and visuospatial working memory in older adults: A cross-sectional study. PeerJ, 4, e2254. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.2254
• Ishihara, T., Sugasawa, S., Matsuda, Y., & Mizuno, M. (2017). Relationship of tennis play to executive function in children and adolescents. European Journal of Sport Science, 17(8), 1074-1083. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2017.1334831
• Ishihara, T., & Mizuno, M. (2018). Effects of tennis play on executive function in 6–11-year-old children: A 12-month longitudinal study. European Journal of Sport Science, 18(5), 741-752. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2018.1444792
• Kalén, A., Bisagno, E., Musculus, L., Raab, M., Pérez-Ferreirós, A., Williams, A. M., & Ivarsson, A. (2021). The role of domain-specific and domain-general cognitive functions and skills in sports performance: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 147(12), 1290-1308. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000355
• Muiños, M., & Ballesteros, S. (2018). Does physical exercise improve perceptual skills and visuospatial attention in older adults? A review. European Review of Aging and Physical Activity, 15(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s11556-018-0191-0
• Nuri, L., Shadmehr, A., Ghotbi, N., & Attarbashi Moghadam, B. (2013). Reaction time and anticipatory skill of athletes in open and closed skill-dominated sport. European Journal of Sport Science, 13(5), 431-436. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2012.738712
• Pačesová, P., Šmela, P., Kraček, S., Kukurová, K., & Plevková, L. (2018). Cognitive function of young male tennis players and non-athletes. Acta Gymnica, 48(2), 56-61. https://doi.org/10.5507/ag.2018.011
• Peiffer, R., Darby, L. A., Fullenkamp, A., & Morgan, A. L. (2015). Effects of acute aerobic exercise on executive function in older women. Journal of Sports Science & Medicine, 14(3), 574-583.
• Peng, Z., Xu, L., Wang, H., Song, T., Shao, Y., Liu, Q., & Weng, X. (2022). The Lateralization of Spatial Cognition in Table Tennis Players: Neuroplasticity in the Dominant Hemisphere. Brain Sciences, 12(12), Article 1607. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12121607
• Sato, T., Kosaki, K., Choi, Y., Tochigi, Y., Shindo-Hamasaki, A., Momma, R., & Maeda, S. (2022). Association between sport types and visuospatial working memory in athletes. The Journal of Physical Fitness and Sports Medicine, 11(4), 247-253. https://doi.org/10.7600/jpfsm.11.247
• Sütçü, N. D., & Oral, B. (2019). Uzamsal görselleştirme testinin geliştirilmesi: Geçerlik ve güvenirlik çalışmaları. Kastamonu Eğitim Dergisi, 27(3), 1179-1195. https://doi.org/10.24106/kefdergi.2826
• Van der Fels, I. M., Te Wierike, S. C., Hartman, E., Elferink-Gemser, M. T., Smith, J., & Visscher, C. (2015). The relationship between motor skills and cognitive skills in 4–16 year old typically developing children: A systematic review. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 18(6), 697-703. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2014.09.007
• Yongtawee, A., Park, J., Kim, Y., & Woo, M. (2022). Athletes have different dominant cognitive functions depending on type of sport. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 20(1), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/1612197X.2021.1956570