Authors:
Lucio Caprioli
1
;
Francesca Campoli
1
;
Saeid Edriss
1
;
Elvira Padua
2
;
Amani Najlaoui
1
;
Cristian Romagnoli
2
;
Giuseppe Annino
3
and
Vincenzo Bonaiuto
1
Affiliations:
1
Sports Engineering Lab., Dept. Industrial Eng. Univ. Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
;
2
Dept. of Human Science & Prom. of Quality of Life, San Raffaele Rome Univ., Rome, Italy
;
3
Dept. of Medicine Systems, Univ. Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
Keyword(s):
Inertial Measurement System, Sports Performance Assessment, Tennis, Forehand, Lateral Distance.
Abstract:
Assessing the distance to the ball in the tennis forehand is fundamental. In this context, a non-invasive assessment system can help technicians even more in amateur tennis, where players who are still unaware of the act need continuous feedback. Three amateur tennis players with an average of 4 years of playing experience were recruited. The subjects wore a sensorized chest strap with an inertial unit and received two sets of 10 balls each. Two action cameras captured 20 forehands of each player from lateral and rear perspectives, aligned about 6m from the point of impact. Video analysis was conducted to identify the anteroposterior and lateral distance of the ball at the point of impact from the longitudinal axis coincident with the first toe of the nondominant foot. Pearson's correlation between distance and trunk inclination during the impact phase was investigated, and a strong correlation was found for all the subjects. This prompts us to consider the potential of a sensorized
chest strap to assess the individual optimal distance from the ball in the forehand of tennis amateurs. Subsequent studies are needed to develop the system's full potential, expand the number of subjects, and examine all the fundamentals of the game.
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