Comparison of Coordinative Abilities Between Tennis and Badminton Players

Coordinative abilities helps quicker and useful learning and also help to attain high level performance. Coordination ability helps to improve the technical development and effective use of physical training. Coordinative abilities are performance fundamentals which are primarily determined by the mechanism involved in the control and regulation of movement. Tennis and badminton players have many similarities. Both sports are played with rackets. Both involve hitting an object over the net and scoring when your opponent cannot return it. Both sports can be played singles or doubles. Tennis and badminton both have worldwide appeal and are Olympic discipline. There are many characteristics which are almost similar to each other. Tennis and badminton both emphasize on similar athletic skills like reaction time as player of tennis and badminton are able to quickly react to his opponent's strike. In spite of this researcher felt that there would definitely be many other characteristics with regards to coordinative abilities, which make them, distinguish from each other. Hence, with desired idea and anticipation researcher felt necessary to attempt to compare the coordinative abilities between tennis and badminton players. The selected coordinative abilities were: - (i) Orientation Abilities (ii) Differentiation Abilities (iii) Reaction Abilities (iv) Rhythm abilities It was hypothesized that there would be significant difference in the coordinative abilities of tennis and badminton players.

Total 40 subjects, Twenty tennis players and twenty and badminton male players of inter university level in the age group of 18 to 26 were selected for the study. The data was collected by administering various coordinative ability tests as suggested by Peter Hirtz in Coordinative Feahigheiten in School Sports. All the tests were demonstrated and explained to the subjects prior to their administration. The subjects were given a chance to practice to become familiar with the test. There was no time limit in performing the test but the subjects were requested to put in their best. The selected coordinative abilities tests for the purpose of data collection are as follows: - 1. Numbered Medicine Ball run Test (to measure the Orientation Ability) 2. Backward Medicine Throw Test (to assess the Differentiation ability) 3. Ball Reaction Exercise Test (to measure the Reaction Ability) 4. Sprint At Given Rhythm (to measure the Rhythmic Ability) T-test was used for testing the hypothesis. The level of significance was chosen at 0.05.

Comparison of the Means of Coordinative Abilities of Tennis and Badminton Players Significant value required at .05 level of significance with 38 degree of freedom – 2.02.

1. As the calculated value (0.81) was less than the tabulated value (2.02) at .05 level of significance, hence, there no significant difference was found between tennis and badminton players in the Orientation Ability. 2. In the case of Differentiation Ability of tennis and badminton players no significant difference was seen as the calculated value (0.74) was less than the table value (2.02) at .05 level of significance. 3. In case of Reaction Ability there was no significant difference as the calculated value (0.47) was less than the table value (2.02). 4. The Rhythmic Ability also had the similar outcome as there was no significant difference between tennis and badminton players as the calculated value (0.78) was less than the table value (2.02).

The findings of the study shows no significant difference between the coordinative abilities of the tennis and badminton players, hence, the hypothesis made earlier as there will be significant difference in the coordinative abilities of tennis and badminton players is rejected. These results may be attributed

• Barrow, Harold M.; Mc Gee; Rosemary and Tritschler, Kathleen A. Practical Measurement in Physical Education and Sports 4th Ed., (Philadelphia: Lea and Febiger, 1979). • Fleishman, Alwin A. The Structure and Measurement of Physical Fitness (Englwood Clifbs: N.J. Prentice Hall Inc., 1964.) • Harre, Dietric, Principles of Sports Training (bralin sports, verlag, 1985). • Hirtz, Peter, Coordinative Feahigheiten in school sports (Berlin: valk and wison valk seigner verala, 1984) • Hardayal Singh, “Science of Sports Training” (New Delhi: D.V. Publications, 1991).