Jeki Haryanto, Clemens Drenowatz, Andreas Nikolakakis, Tamara Lukáčová, Padli, Didi Suryadi, Desi Purnama Sari, Rudyanto
Problem statement: Table tennis is a fast-paced sport that depends on accurate selection and execution of key strokes. Drive shots are commonly used by players in competition. While many studies have analyzed stroke performance in table tennis, research on specific interventions to improve the drive shot remains limited. Objective: This study investigate the effect of wall drill training on accuracy, speed, and consistency of the forehand drive stroke in young adults. Method: The study included 30 participants (age: 19.27±0.58 years) enrolled in university table tennis courses. The intervention lasted 8 weeks, with two 50-min training sessions per week. Both, control and intervention group engaged in a similar amount of training but the intervention group performed wall drills specifically focusing on drive strokes while the control group engaged in regular table tennis play with a partner. Forehand drive stroke accuracy was evaluated via a validated and reliable test at the beginning and the end of the intervention period. Results: Even though there was an improvement in drive stroke performance across the entire study population the intervention group displayed a significantly more pronounced increase in forehand drive stroke accuracy than the control group (p<0.01). Conclusions: The results of the present study clearly indicate that wall drills are significantly superior to traditional table tennis practice methods for the effective development of the forehand drive stroke. Coaches, athletes, and teachers, therefore, can confidently adopt this innovative training method to further enhance the drive skills of their students and athletes. © JPES.
Coaching Department, Faculty of Sport Science, Universitas Negeri Padang, Indonesia; Division of Sport, Physical Activity and Health, University of Education Upper Austria, Austria; Department of Physical Education and Sports Science, Democritus University of Thrace, Greece; Department of Music, Art and Physical Education, Faculty of Education, University of Presov, Slovakia; Postgraduate of Sports Science, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
