Tennis
Talent & Fitness Test
Is your kid a beginning tennis player? Use this test to find out if he or she
has a talent.
Preliminary Notes
Talent is an inborn extraordinary ability to certain activities which, after correct training, could be developed upto virtuosity. The following formula shows the way of a hopeful junior to a tennis champion.
CHAMPION = TALENT x
coach x parents x
(training + organization + good luck) / development obstacles
The most important factor in this formula is TALENT, or the player himself. His contribution to success we estimate at least at 50 %.
In tennis there are three types of talent. Firstly, the MOVEMENT TALENT, the player’s ability to learn
correctly and quickly the tennis movements, secondly the COORDINATION TALENT, that is, what
happens in the moment of racket/ball contact. And thirdly, the COMPETITION TALENT, the extraordinary
favorable combination of a player's psychical, and mental properties. Mental strength makes the difference between good and great players.
Testing athletes for the COMPETITION TALENT is not a common practice. Especially at the very beginning of a sporting career it is very difficult to predict future competitive success. Coaches
do use practical impressions to assess the COMPETITION TALENT of a player. A coach can test
1. how quickly does a player apply the specific directions given by the coach, how quickly does he learn? 2. Is a
player courageous, negative or positive when it comes to playing a match
against a new player? 3. Does a player perform at tournaments at a level that can be expected from practice, or much worse, or surprisingly better?
The
first two talents, for simplicity, can be united in FITNESS TALENT. In this test
we will deal with it . Read how the test should be administered.
Table 1: The 10 exercises of
FM Tennis Academy Fitness Talent Test
|
Exercise
|
Title
|
Description
|
|
1
|
Body height
|
Body height, standing, bare-feet.
|
|
Measurement error: shoes, bent body posture.
|
|
2
|
Body weight
|
Bodyweight, standing, wearing shirt + short.
|
|
Measurement error: shoes.
|
|
3
|
Push ups from the knees
(photo 1, 2)
|
The player is laying on the floor, face down, hands next to the shoulders, the knees bent (feet in the air). 20 seconds push ups.
|
|
Measurement error: poorly executed repetitions do not count.
|
|
4
|
(Semi-) pike ups
(photo 3, 4)
|
The player is laying on the floor, face up, arms extended past the head, hands slightly above the floor, the legs are straight up (90 degree angle in the hips). In the pike up the diver touches the toes and then the floor.
|
|
Measurement error: poorly executed repetitions do not count.
|
|
5
|
Back extensions
(photo 5, 6)
|
The player is laying on a table or platform, face down. The upper body is over the edge and hanging towards the floor. The hands are folded in the neck. A second
player prevents the first player from falling, by sitting on the legs. The player extends from the hanging position to the horizontal: 20 seconds.
|
|
Measurement error: poorly executed repetitions do not count.
|
|
6
|
Stand and reach
(photo 7)
|
The player is standing on a raised surface (step or table) and bends forward, with straight legs. The
player reaches with both index fingers past the toes and touches a measurement tape.
|
|
Measurement error: bending in the knees.
|
|
7
|
Shoulder flexibility
(photo 8)
|
The player is laying on a mat, the forehead touches the mat. The
player extends his arms along the head and holds a pen in two fists. The player raises his arms along a measurement tape, the forehead remains on the mat.
|
|
Measurement error: pushing the pen upward with the fingers, bend arms, the forehead lifts of the ground.
|
|
8
|
Standing long jump; 3 attempts
|
Long jump, from standing to standing. The jumping distance is from the front of the toes (start) to the back of the nearest heel (landing).
|
|
Measurement error: the feet slide forward on impact, the player falls on landing.
|
|
9
|
4 x 10 meter sprint; 2 attempts
|
4 x 10 meter sprint (dash); At 10, 20, 30 and 40 meters the
player touches a marking point on the floor.
|
|
Measurement error: inaccurate use of the stopwatch.
|
|
10
|
20 meter sprint; 2 attempts
|
20 meter sprint (dash).
|
|
Measurement error: inaccurate use of the stopwatch.
|
Details of executing the test
When executing the test the exercises are always given in the same order, from 1-10. Using table 2 the coach
(or parent) can convert the measurement values into talent scores (10 exercises x
10 points give a maximum of 100 points). Converting the measurement values into talent scores may only be done the first time a player takes the test. All players participating in this study have also only taken the test once. If a
player is given several chances to repeat the test, the performance will increase because he has figured out how to do it, a learning effect has taken place.
At
FM Tennis Academy kids are considered to have “potential to become a world
class player” if they score 60 points or more.
Table
2: Conversion table from measurement value to talent score
|
Exercise
|
girls 8+9 years
|
girls 10+11 years
|
boys 8+9 years
|
boys 10+11 years
|
score
|
|
Height
|
128
|
4.2
|
140
|
4.6
|
133
|
4.3
|
144
|
4.7
|
4
|
|
(cm & ft)
|
133
|
4.3
|
143
|
4.7
|
138
|
4.4
|
147
|
4.8
|
6
|
|
|
135
|
4.4
|
147
|
4.8
|
140
|
4.5
|
148
|
4.9
|
8
|
|
|
136
|
4.5
|
148
|
4.9
|
141
|
4.6
|
149
|
4.10
|
10
|
|
1
|
138
|
4.6
|
150
|
4.10
|
142
|
4.7
|
151
|
4.11
|
8
|
|
Weight
|
27
|
60
|
31
|
68
|
27
|
60
|
34
|
75
|
6
|
|
(kg & lb)
|
29
|
64
|
33
|
73
|
30
|
66
|
35
|
77
|
8
|
|
|
30
|
66
|
35
|
77
|
32
|
70
|
37
|
82
|
10
|
|
|
31
|
68
|
36
|
79
|
33
|
73
|
39
|
86
|
8
|
|
2
|
32
|
70
|
38
|
84
|
34
|
75
|
40
|
88
|
6
|
|
Stand and
|
10
|
4
|
10
|
4
|
7
|
2.8
|
9
|
3.6
|
10
|
|
reach
|
9
|
3.6
|
8
|
3.2
|
4
|
1.6
|
5
|
2
|
8
|
|
(cm & inches)
|
6
|
2.4
|
7
|
2.8
|
3
|
1.2
|
3
|
1.2
|
6
|
|
|
5
|
2
|
5
|
2
|
2
|
0.8
|
2
|
0.8
|
4
|
|
3
|
3
|
1.2
|
4
|
1.6
|
1
|
0.4
|
1
|
0.4
|
2
|
|
Push-ups
|
19
|
19
|
19
|
20
|
10
|
|
(knees)
|
17
|
17
|
18
|
19
|
8
|
|
|
15
|
15
|
15
|
18
|
6
|
|
|
14
|
14
|
14
|
17
|
4
|
|
4
|
11
|
12
|
13
|
16
|
2
|
|
Pike-ups
|
18
|
19
|
14
|
16
|
10
|
|
(semi)
|
15
|
16
|
13
|
15
|
8
|
|
|
13
|
15
|
12
|
13
|
6
|
|
|
12
|
14
|
11
|
12
|
4
|
|
5
|
10
|
13
|
10
|
11
|
2
|
|
Back
|
19
|
19
|
19
|
20
|
10
|
|
extensions
|
18
|
18
|
18
|
19
|
8
|
|
|
17
|
17
|
16
|
18
|
6
|
|
|
16
|
16
|
14
|
17
|
4
|
|
6
|
15
|
15
|
12
|
16
|
2
|
|
Shoulder
|
38
|
15
|
38
|
15
|
36
|
14
|
39
|
15.5
|
10
|
|
flexibility
|
32
|
12.5
|
36
|
14
|
35
|
13.5
|
34
|
13
|
8
|
|
(cm & inches)
|
31
|
12
|
35
|
13.5
|
32
|
12.5
|
32
|
12.5
|
6
|
|
|
30
|
11.5
|
34
|
13
|
30
|
11.5
|
30
|
11.5
|
4
|
|
7
|
29
|
11
|
32
|
12.5
|
28
|
11
|
29
|
11
|
2
|
|
Standing long
|
164
|
64.5
|
168
|
66
|
175
|
69
|
183
|
72
|
10
|
|
jump
|
159
|
62.5
|
162
|
64
|
165
|
65
|
181
|
71
|
8
|
|
(cm & inches)
|
152
|
60
|
159
|
62.5
|
160
|
63
|
176
|
69
|
6
|
|
|
147
|
58
|
153
|
60
|
155
|
61
|
170
|
67
|
4
|
|
8
|
141
|
55.5
|
151
|
59.5
|
152
|
60
|
166
|
65
|
2
|
|
4 x 10 meter
|
11,04
|
10,68
|
10,38
|
10,16
|
10
|
|
sprint
|
11,05-11,38
|
10,69-10,90
|
10,39-10,50
|
10,17-10,34
|
8
|
|
|
11,39-11,59
|
10,91-11,12
|
10,51-10,90
|
10,35-10,53
|
6
|
|
|
11,60-11,69
|
11,13-11,30
|
10,91-11,01
|
10,54-10,65
|
4
|
|
9
|
11,70-12,00
|
11,31-11,42
|
11,02-11,19
|
10,66-11,00
|
2
|
|
20 meter
|
4.4
|
4.1
|
4.3
|
3.9
|
10
|
|
sprint
|
4.5
|
4.2
|
4.4
|
4.0
|
8
|
|
|
4.6
|
4.3
|
4.5
|
4.1
|
6
|
|
|
4.7
|
4.4
|
4.6
|
4.2
|
4
|
|
10
|
4.8
|
4.5
|
4.7
|
4.3
|
2
|
Photo 1 Push-ups starting position
|
 |
Photo 2 Push-ups ending position
|
 |
Photo 3 (Semi-) pike-ups starting position
|
 |
Photo 4 (Semi-) Pike-ups ending position
|
 |
Photo 5 Back extensions starting position
|
 |
Photo 6 Back extensions ending position
|
 |
Photo 7 Stand and reach
|
 |
Photo 8 Shoulder flexibility
|
 |
|
