A Comparative Analysis of the Finger Pressure and Kinematic Variables in the Forehand Hairpin Net Shot According to Proficiency

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare and analyze the finger pressure and kinematic variables in the forehand hairpin net shot between skilled elite players and less skilled recreational players. Eight elite players(age: 18.1±0.8 yrs, height: 176.8±1.5 cm, weight: 640.9±48.6 N) with minimum of 6 years of experience and eight recreational players(age: 27.9±1.6 yrs, height: 177.1±6.1 cm, weight: 820.5±62.8 N) with less than one year experience were recruited in this study. For each trial being analyzed, four critical instants were identified from the video recordings: Right heel contact1 (E1), Right toe-off (E2), Right heel contact2 (E3), and Shuttlecock Impact (E4). Each hairpin net shot was broken into consecutive phases: E1~E2 (Right Landing Phase: RLP), E2~E3 (Sliding Step Phase: SSP), and E3~E4 (Impact Phase: IP). Temporal parameters, shuttlecock speed, linear and angular kinematics of body segments, and finger pressures were computed for this study. The results showed that The finger pressure of the ring finger and the middle finger for the skilled group during an impact had significantly greater than those of unskilled group. It is possible that all fingers were not used in the same manner when the racket was gripped in forehand hairpin. The result also suggested that the ring finger and the middle finger pushed the racket from top to bottom while having the mid-phalanx and proximal phalanx of index finger as an axis.