Speaker
Description
In many studies on table tennis, data on the serve are mostly focused on elite players. There is a lack of data on the type of serve collegiate athletes use. In this study, serve activities between collegiate level male varsity and national level male table tennis players were recorded and compared through notational analysis. Data on the frequency of serve types, serve outcomes, serve placements, and the number of points won on these variables were collected from eight collegiate level athletes and nine members of the Philippine national table tennis team during a tournament. Nine hundred serves—450 from collegiate athletes and 450 from national athletes—were recorded and were analyzed using a chi-square test and a significance level of α = 0.05. The results showed significant differences in the serve type frequency and the points won. The national athletes’ group used short serves more frequently and had more varied placements than the collegiate athletes. On the other hand, the collegiate athletes relied more on long serves and were more predictable in their placements than the national athletes. Additionally, the national athletes won more points when the longer rallies were longer, while the collegiate athletes end points faster. The findings suggest that it would be advantageous to male collegiate table tennis players if they use more forehand short serves, adapt to longer rallies, and vary their serve placements – especially on the outside and middle forehand zones. This research offers preliminary insights into performance indicators that may benefit college-level table tennis players and can be used to develop training programs that could enhance their performance. Moreover, knowledge on the type of serve that collegiate athletes use may help them on the tactical side of their game.
