Wheelchair Velocity of Tennis Players during Propulsion with and Without the Use of Racquets

Abstract

To compare the velocity characteristics of wheelchair propulsion with and without the use of a tennis racquet, eight male wheelchair tennis players performed a series of 20m sprints from a stationary start. The maximum velocities reached on average 4.39 ± 0.74 m/s; however, they were reduced by 0.18 ± 0.06 m/s during the racquet condition. Furthermore, when wheeling under the racquet condition, the velocities achieved during the first three pushes were significantly reduced. The reduction in maximum velocity and relative velocity contributions while holding a tennis racquet may have been due to an ineffective push technique resulting in low effectiveness of force application. The relation of these parameters and trunk stability is discussed.

Effect of glove type on wheelchair rugby sports performance

“…A standard, offensive rugby wheelchair with a perturbing hand rim (Melrose, Christchurch, New Zealand; 24 00 wheels, 181 wheel camber, 18.9 kg), equipped with velocometer sampling at 100 Hz [10,13,14], was used in all of the trials.…”

“…These studies examined the influence on both biomechanical and physiological parameters, including the propulsion kinematics, force application and mechanical efficiency [3][4][5][6][7]. A few studies have focused on the sprint performance of wheelchair athletes using different hand rim configurations [8,9] and in propulsion with and without a tennis racquet [10]. Studying different glove conditions requires standardization of testing conditions, expertise or training status in the task and a homogeneous participant group.…”

The validity and reliability of a novel indoor player tracking system for use within wheelchair court sports

“…Substantial errors in measurement reliability (19.9% coefficient of variation [% CV]) have also been reported within magnetic reed-switch devices at speeds in excess of 2.5 m·sˉ¹ (Sindall et al, 2013b). Such speeds are frequently exceeded by elite wheelchair athletes (Goosey-Tolfrey & Moss, 2005;Mason et al, 2009;, which questions the suitability of existing reed-switch devices for use within elite wheelchair court sport applications.…”

Differences in game statistics between winning and losing for male wheelchair tennis players in Paralympics Games

“…This rule allows players to hit balls far as its ability to displacement from conventional tennis is lower 7 . The displacement capacity is determined largely by the type of injury the player, so players with less severe injury will be faster than players with a more severe injury 8 . The type of injury will allow the player to sit higher or lower in his chair, although the height of hit the ball will always be lower than a conventional tennis player 7 .…”