TITLE:
Improvement of Theoretical Tennis Knowledge in Student Coaches at the Sports University of Greece
AUTHORS:
Alexandros Mavvidis, Georgios Dallas, Argiris Theodosiou, Ioannis Mavvidis
KEYWORDS:
Tennis, Theoretical Knowledge, Coaching Education
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.5 No.10,
October
23,
2018
ABSTRACT: Background: The primary aim of students specializing in a sport is to ac-quire full scientific knowledge on that sport. Furthermore, a qualitative objective of the specialization is to enable the future coaches to acquire good knowledge on the theoretical aspects of that sport. Methods: On the basis of the curriculum, the students of the Department of Physical Education and Sports (DPES) are examined on the theoretical knowledge they hold on issues related to tennis, e.g., technique, tactics, regulations, etc. at the beginning of the academic year, by answering a questionnaire of 80 questions. In order to assess the level of improvement of this knowledge the students answered the same 80 questions at the end of the academic year. The sample consisted of 23 male (11) and female (12) tennis students of the Department of Physical Education and Sport Science (aged 21.20 ± 1.23 years). Results: The results revealed significant improvement in all 5 knowledge groups between the two measurements. Although no significant differences were found between male and female students, this improvement was of a different kind. In the “technique” and “knowledge about the racket” related questions, males prevailed over females, whereas female students were superior in the “rules section”. Conclusion: In the field of theoretical knowledge the level of education at the Department of Physical Education and Sport Science was, according to the findings of the study, satisfactory.