M.S. Iskhak¹
Dr. Hab., Professor V.G. Shilko^1
1National Research Tomsk State University, Tomsk

Objective of the study was to test by experiment the effectiveness of the developed mental conditioning program in application to the 8-9 year-old tennis players.
Methods and structure of the study. The educational experiment was conducted from September 2019 through March 2020 on the basis of the Siberian Tennis Center, Tomsk. The Experimental Group subjects (n=18) were trained according to the developed mental conditioning program (including the theoretical and practical classes). The Control Group athletes were trained according to the standard sports school program, where mental conditioning was combined with other tennis court practices.
The experiment aimed to assess the psychological readiness of the junior tennis players aged 8-9 years for competitive activities using the following tests: "Anxiety level rating test (psychological test "State-trait anxiety inventory" by Spielberger-Hanin)"; "Evaluation of the impact of training and competitive activities on the athlete’s emotional state ("Stress-Symptom-Test" questionnaire by R. Frester)»; "Express evaluation of the emotional state of athletes (Yu.Ya. Kiselev’s "Thermometer scale")".
Results and conclusions. The experimental mental conditioning program for young tennis players was successfully tested at the premises of the Siberian Tennis Center, Tomsk, and can be recommended for use by other sports schools and tennis centers. The educational experiment showed that the introduction of the mental conditioning program contributed to the stable psychological preparedness of young tennis players for competitive activities and improved their performance.

Keywords: mental conditioning, young tennis players, competitive activities.

References

1. Kovaleva M.S., Inozemtseva E.S., Shilko V.G. Formirovanie psikhologicheskoy gotovnosti yunykh tennisistov 8-9 let k sorevnovaniyam v uchebno-trenirovochnom protsesse [Mental conditioning of junior tennis players aged 8-9 years for competitions in educational process]. Fizicheskaya kultura, zdravookhranenie i obrazovanie [Physical culture, health care and education]. Proc. XIII International research-practical conference in memory of V.S. Pirussky. E.Yu. Dyakova [ed.]. Tomsk: STT publ., 2019. pp. 317-321.
2. Krespo M., Reyd M., Kvinn E. Psihologiya v tennise: prakticheskie uprazhneniya i sovremennyie issledovaniya [Psychology in Tennis: Practical Exercise and Contemporary Research]. ITF, 2016.
3. Reglament Rossiyskogo tennisnogo tura na 2018 god [Regulations of the Russian tennis tour for 2018] [Electronic resource]. Available at: http://www.tennis-russia.ru/public/content/files/param_50/E53p6XJHPR78Uk... (Date of access: 15.06.20).