Somatic Characteristics and Special Motor Fitness of Young Top-Level Polish Table Tennis Players

Reliability of Accuracy and Precision Tests for Elite Para Table Tennis Players

The primary purpose of this study was to adapt selected accuracy and precision tests in table tennis to the specific skills of elite table tennis players with impairment. The study included a sample of 23 Para table tennis players with an average age of 31.8 ± 12.22 years (including 30.4% females) who belonged to the senior Polish Para table tennis team. A battery of six tests evaluating stroke accuracy and serve precision was assessed. The analysis of the reliability of these tests confirmed the legitimacy of using this battery of accuracy and precision tests to assess the skills of Para table tennis players in all three integrated sport classes: players in wheelchairs, in a standing position, and with intellectual impairment. Analysis of the data obtained from the tests could provide coaches with relevant information regarding elite Para table tennis players' level of performance and examine selected accuracy and precision elements of their individual technique.

Physiological demands of racket sports: a systematic review

The practice of racket sports has had an exponential growth in the last decade, along with it, the scientific interest in researching the different disciplines: badminton, padel, table tennis, tennis, and squash. However, most research has focused on the technical and tactical field. Therefore, the aim of this review is to analyze and compare the indicators of the internal load of each sport: heart rate (HR), maximum oxygen consumption (VO_2max), oxygen consumption (VO₂), and lactate (LA) in order to reset physiological references to adjust the training of the players and also use these references to propose the practice of these sports for healthy purposes to the general population. PRISMA Guidelines for Systematic Review were used to search for articles that met the inclusion criteria in three databases: Web of Science, Pubmed, and Sportdiscus. The search was performed between January 2010, and September 2022. Finally, a total 27 records were included for analysis in this study. The main findings were related to the differences in the intensity rates between sports. The highest lactate concentrations and heart values were found in badminton in the intensity of effort values (whose highest values were found in badminton) 10.11 (±4.99) mmol/L and 182.6 (±2.7) bpm respectively, whereas table tennis showed the lowest ones 1.2 (± 0.4) mmol/L, and 103.99 (±15.09) bpm, respectively. The highest mean VO₂ was found in table tennis with a value of 36.8 (±13.2) ml/kg/min and the lowest in tennis with a value of 26.6 (±2.7) ml/kg/min. The highest VO_2max was found in tennis players 58.0 (±4.6) ml/kg/min, and the lowest value was in table tennis with a value of 42.9 (±4.2) ml/kg/min. Since most of the studies were carried out on elite men players, future research should focus on amateur and women level players.

Analysis of Specific Physical Fitness in High-Level Table Tennis Players-Sex Differences

Table tennis performance depends on multiple factors such as technique, tactics and fitness. Several studies have focused on investigating different technical-tactical variables. However, research analysing the specific physical qualities of this sport is scarce, particularly in the female sex. The aim of the present study was to assess the physical fitness variables associated with individual performance in elite table tennis players according to sex. Forty-eight elite players divided into males (n = 24; 25.38 ± 4.01 years) and females (n = 24; 22.33 ± 3.83 years) participated in the study. To determine physical fitness, participants performed vertical jump, hand grip strength, ergospirometry and lateral displacement tests (reaction time, displacement time and lateral acceleration). Male players showed higher values in vertical jump, hand grip strength and maximum oxygen consumption (p < 0.001). Likewise, male players moved laterally faster (p < 0.001). On the other hand, female players had a better reaction time towards the dominant side (p < 0.01). Elite male table tennis players showed better physical fitness compared to female players. Due to the scarcity of data on elite table tennis players, these results can serve as reference values for different table tennis practitioners.