Structure of strength fitness model for female table tennis players of different skill levels

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Ph.D., Associate Professor E.V. Kudryashov
Perm National Research Polytechnic University, Perm

Keywords: structure, model, strength, fitness, table tennis.

Introduction

Modern table tennis is commonly known to be a sport game that requires from player perfectly developed motor skills to be able to perform complex high-intensity technical and tactical actions in rapidly changing game situations. Moreover, it is not unusual for modern sport that women have to play up to 7-8 and sometimes even more games per day in tournaments. The competitive table tennis game abounds in numerous technical elements, sharp and fast movements and requires fast and precise reactions to the flying ball [2; 3; 6].

It is one of the game sports that impose highest requirements to both the athlete’s skill level and fitness in every element of the multisided athletic excellence process. No exclusion in the list of the key elements is the strength training since this quality is critical for sport excellence process in many sport disciplines [1; 5].

Therefore, modern sport scientists tend to support the opinion that successful modeling of the key physical qualities development factors, with no detriment for the other important elements of the specific athletic fitness, can be of significant contribution to the general success in competition. This modeling is particularly important for game sports on the whole and table tennis in particular for the reason that a success in game sports largely depends on varieties of many performance factors and the priorities given to them in the long-term training process. It is at least for this reason that the strength fitness modeling is now ranked among the top priority sport problems by the modern sport science and practice [1; 4; 5].

The purpose of the study was to develop a strength fitness model for athletes of different skill levels in application to women's table tennis.

Materials and methods. The study was designed based on the following methods: analysis of available scientific, methodological and special literature; summaries of the best practical experiences of the table tennis specialists and practitioners; educational surveys of the competitive activity and training processes; poly-dynamometric tests; and mathematical methods of statistics. 72 women table tennis players (Class III Masters to Masters of Sport) were subject to the study.

Results and discussion. To attain the above study objective, we profiled performances of the women table tennis players of different skill levels using the B.M. Rybalko’s method and V.M. Abalakov’s dynometry, with measurements of the strength indices for the thigh and shin extensor and flexor muscles; foot flexor muscle; shoulder extensor and flexor muscles; forearm extensor and flexor muscles; hand muscles and the body flexion muscle group. The obtained data were used to compute the relative strength values using the following formula:

С=,

Where Сmeans relative strength value; С means absolute strength value; and М means athlete’s body weight.

Proceeding from the studies the female table tennis players’ skills improvement process is always associated with growth of the aggregate strength indices of the lower and upper limbs and the aggregate strength index of all the 11 muscle groups subject to the tests (Table 1 hereunder).

Let us note more specifically in this context that the following groups showed the following aggregate relevant strength indices in the five leg muscle groups subject to the tests: 3.27 for the Class III Athletes; 4.12 for the Class II Athletes; 4.31 for the Class I Athletes; 4.66 for the Candidates for Master of Sport; and 4.81 for the Masters of Sport (with the difference reliability index of p <0.05).

Furthermore, the following groups showed the following aggregate relevant strength indices for the five arm muscle groups subject to the tests: 2.19 for the Class III Athletes; 2.28 for the Class II Athletes; and 2.45 for the Class I Athletes. The above indices showed reliable variation trends (with the difference reliability index of p <0.05) with the skill growth of the female players. The situation may be somewhat different for the female players ranked Candidates for Master of Sport and Masters of Sport for the following reason: whilst the same indices showed the same growth trend (2.55 to 2.61, respectively) with the skill growth, these data variations, however, were found non-reliable for the both groups of highly skilled athletes (p >0.05).

The relative strength growth dynamics for all the 11 muscle groups subject to the tests shows statistically valid variations for the athletes having qualifications of Class III to Master of Sport.

Table 1. Strength fitness model indices for female table tennis players of different skill levels











 

Master of Sport

Candidate for Master of Sport

 

Class I

Class II

Class III

mx

 

Р

mx

 

Р

mx

 

Р

mx

 

Р

mx

n=10

n=10

n=15

n=17

n=20

Relative strength of 5 leg muscle groups

4,810,01

 

<0,05

4,660,02

 

<0,05

4,310,06

 

<0,05

4,120,01

 

<0,05

3,270,06

 

Relative strength of 5 arm muscle groups

2,610,04

 

>0,05

2,550,06

 

<0,05

2,450,02

 

<0,05

2,280,07

 

<0,05

2,190,05

 

Relative strength of 11 muscle groups

7,550,02

<0,05

7,360,03

<0,05

7,050,05

<0,05

6,710,02

<0,05

5,600,04

 

Figure 1. 5 leg muscle group strength growth trend with the skill growth of female tennis players

Figure 2. 5 arm muscle group strength growth trend with the skill growth of female tennis players

Figure 3. 11 muscle group strength growth trend with the skill growth of female tennis players

Conclusions

The findings demonstrated the following:

1. Growing skills of the female table tennis players are always associated with the statistically valid growth of their strength qualities.

2. The obtained study data may be used for the strength quality benchmarking analysis in application to the female table tennis players having qualifications of Class III Athlete to Master of Sport.

3. We expect that the above strength fitness assessment methodology may be successfully applied to other game sport disciplines.

References

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Corresponding author: kudryashov-e-v@mail.ru