The Effect of Using Selective Attention with Movement Control on the Precision and Depth of the Performance of the Forehand and Backhand Shots during Fixed and Variable Exercises in Tennis

Abstract

This research is about finding educational alternatives to achieve a better and more effective education of tennis skills and to vary its exercises by using the selective attention during the player's movement control. The purpose of this research is investigating its uses through the fixed and variable exercises during the performance.The research sample consisted of 36 regular junior students of the College of Physical Education (University of Babylon) with an average age of 22.3 years. They were divided into three equal groups; the first group practices the fixed exercises by using selective attention of the precision and depth of the forehand and back hand shots, the second group practiced the variable exercise by using the selective attention, and the third group (the control group) followed their usual training program assigned by their college instructors, all during 10 educational training units and by using the precision and depth tests of tennis.The results pointed out the significant differences between the pretests and posttests of the three groups concerning their precision and depth of the forehand and back hand shots. The second group of the research sample (which practiced the variable exercises) performed the best of the three, followed by the first group (which applied the fixed exercises), and ending with the third (control) group.The researcher recommends using the methods of selective or optional attention with the player's movement control to perform these skills, and prefers using the variable exercises over the fixed ones for learning these skills, for they have contributive benefits of control from different positions, distances, forces and speedsduring the game.