Definition of the game of tennis

Defining the sport being taught allows the teacher to determine the paths that will guide his educational approach and his choices in terms of objectives.

In this way, he will give meaning and logic to his teaching.

In simple:

“Individual physical and sporting activity in the form of a distance duel (or debate), the opposition of which is mediated by a spherical ball hit with a racket. The constraints are horizontal (the boundaries of the field) and vertical (the net). The fundamental problem of this sport is to manage in the same action the defense of its ground (0 or 1 rebound authorized), and the exploitation of the opposing ground. »

Analysis of this definition:

- "Activity... : the cognitive and motor dimensions are brought into play. Who says "activity" says "action: analyze, decide, move, hit, replace"

- "...physical..." : the energetic qualities are necessary for the good motor execution of the task to be carried out

- "...athletic..." : the definition of sport by Pierre Parlebas, sociologist of sport, specifies "sport is the set of motor situations, codified in the form of competition and institutionalized", Therefore sport must solicit motor action within the framework of precise rules defining a competition, and this must be governed by official bodies (federations, Olympic committees, etc.).

- "...individual...": in singles the player is alone to manage his emotions and make decisions. In doubles, there is a notion of sharing and cooperation, just as in a team match the player can have the support of a coach. However, most of the time the player is alone

- "...duel...": the notion of duel specifies that the player must play according to his opponent, namely the game system used but also his strong and weak moves. Unlike a sport like athletics where the athlete is alone in his lane or in his throwing area. He does not run or throw based on direct interaction with his opponents

- "from a distance...": means that there is no contact between the players (as in judo for example), and that the spaces are not interpenetrated (a net separates the players and the respective spaces), unlike football or the attackers penetrate the opposing defense space

- "...debate...": the notion of debate refers to a political debate, "dé" = to separate; "bat" = to fight or fight. The players oppose each other remotely and the match is orchestrated by a referee when there is one. Similarly during a political debate, there are two opponents and a journalist who orchestrates the debate (speaking time etc.)

- "...objection..": refers to the notion of balance of power, there is a led and a leader but on the part of the opposition this balance of power can be reversed

- "...mediated...": there is a mediator that characterizes the opposition (the ball)

- "...spherical ball...": who says spherical says rebound that can be anticipated (except in the event of a false rebound on clay). Depending on the trajectory of the ball before the bounce, the player can position themselves and predict the trajectory of the actual bounce. Unlike rugby where the ball is oval and the bounces are random (it is difficult to know in which direction the ball will bounce, hence the notions of "good bounce and "bad bounce" in rugby)

- "...hit with a racket...": the opposition is mediated by a ball hit using a racket, this means that the player must integrate a machine into his body scheme. This will interfere with the notion of proximo-distal distancing, but also with controlling this machine (hence the importance of choosing the right racket: weight, size, balance). This task is sometimes delicate for the teacher, in particular when it is a question of changing the racket of his young pupil especially with regard to the size. By taking a bigger racquet the player will be able to hit harder because the lever between the hand and the center of the racquet head will be greater, on the other hand the player will have more difficulty controlling the racquet head.

- "...constraints...horizontal...": these are the limits of the opponent's terrain, namely the space in 2D (two dimensions). The ball hit must not go beyond the lines that limit the opponent's court

and

"...vertical...": it is the net, namely the space in 3D (three dimensions). The ball must go over the net. Due to these two components, this refers to the notion of ball trajectory and therefore of game volume.

- "...to manage...": it is a question of carrying out in the same action two related and imbricated tasks. In the same action, it is necessary to prevent the ball from bouncing twice in his court, while exploiting the opponent's terrain, namely to "defend", "neutralize" or "attack", a decision to be made according to the ball received. This refers to the notion of "playing fair"

- "...the defense of his field (0 or 1 rebound)...": to defend one's court is to prevent the ball from bouncing twice. The tennis player can play the ball before a bounce (volley) or after a bounce. If we were to compare this analysis to table tennis and badminton, the definition would be similar except that in badminton we would specify (0 rebound) and in table tennis (1 rebound)

- "...exploitation of the opposing terrain...": depending on the ball received, either the player attacks the opposing court on a favorable ball, or neutralizes the opposing court on a neutral ball (ball not attackable but not really unbalancing), or defends on a difficult ball by performing a big topspin in the diagonal in order to rebalance the balance of power.

Two fold :

“Collective physical and sporting activity opposing two players to two other players in the form of a distance confrontation (or a debate), the opposition of which is mediated by a spherical ball hit with the aid of a racket. The constraints are horizontal (the boundaries of the field) and vertical (the net). The fundamental problem of this sport is to manage in the same action the defense of its ground (0 or 1 rebound authorized), and the exploitation of the opposing ground. "

There are two types of interaction in the game of doubles, direct interaction (we act according to the opponents' response) and indirect interaction (we act according to the action of our partner).

Examples:

Direct interaction: the opposing server makes a second favorable service ball, the receiver therefore decides to attempt a long line passing.

Indirect interaction: my partner makes a very good first serve ball, so I decide to stick the net before even knowing the opponent's answer, in order to slam a possible volley.

Due to these characteristics, the game of doubles is a sport that requires significant management of information gathering. It is necessary to take information at the same time on the adversaries and on its partner, moreover there are various possible combinations which requires the players to consult each other regularly.

Celine Duvere

Copyright France No. 72H61J2