TEST-RETEST RELIABILITY FOR HITTING ACCURACY TENNIS TEST

Strecker, E, Foster, EB, and Pascoe, DD. Test-retest reliability for hitting accuracy tennis test. J Strength Cond Res 25(12): 3501-3505, 2011-The purpose of this investigation was to assess a test-retest reliability of the hitting accuracy tennis test (HATT). Twelve National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) division I tennis players (4 men and 8 women) volunteered to participate in this investigation. Skill tests consisted of 15 consecutive ground strokes in all 4 directions (forehand [FH] and backhand [BH]; crosscourt and up the line) with not >1 minute between directions. The court was divided into 12 areas, and each area was assigned a value according to a grid system based on offensive, defensive, and neutral shots ranging from 1 point to 6 points. Total score, unforced errors, and shot index (total number of shots that landed on optimal performance areas 5 and 6 minus total number of unforced errors) were used for statistical analysis. The order of shot direction was randomized between participants and trials. The analysis of variance with repeated measures (p value <= 0.05) of this investigation showed no statistical difference between trials on any of the measurements. The results also suggest that division I level tennis players have the ability to hit accurately specific targets on a tennis court using either FH or BH with minimal daily variation. Therefore, we conclude that the HATT for trained tennis athletes is a simple, reliable, and accurate assessment tool to measure tennis skill performance based on accuracy. The HATT is also an easy, inexpensive training device that coaches can use to monitor players development.