Quantitative relation between server motion and receiver anticipation in tennis: implications of responses to computer-simulated motions

The purpose of this study was to determine the quantitative relationships between the server's motion and the receiver's anticipation using a computer graphic animation of tennis serves. The test motions were determined by capturing the motion of a model player and estimating the computational perturbations caused by modulating the rotation of the player's elbow and forearm joints. Eight experienced and eight novice players rated their anticipation of the speed, direction, and spin of the ball on a visual analogue scale. The experienced players significantly altered some of their anticipatory judgment depending on the percentage of both the forearm and elbow modulations, while the novice players indicated no significant changes. Multiple regression analyses, including that of the racket's kinematic parameters immediately before racket-ball impact as independent variables, showed that the experienced players demonstrated a higher coefficient of determination than the novice players in their anticipatory judgment of the ball direction. The results have implications on the understanding of the functional relation between a player's motion and the opponent's anticipatory judgment during real play.