Abstract

Two groups of table tennis players (four Chinese international and four talented junior Australian players) were filmed by two high speed cameras as they performed forehand loop and smash shots. Movement patterns were quantified by digitising the photographic records and reconstructing, in three dimensions, the displacements of body segments utilising the DLT method (ABDEL-AZIZ KARARA 1971). The upper limb was modelled as a three-link system comprising the arm, forearm and hand/bat. Results showed that the Chinese players peak hand segment velocity was greater than the Australians (F (1,6) = 8.98, p < .05) with meanimpact speeds of 13.2 and 9.4 m/s, respectively. The Chinese players modified their technique for the loop shot, compared to the smash shot, by increasing the vertical and decreasing the horizontal components of velocity for all segments. This modification was not evident for the Australians. Analysis of timing data showed equivocal evidence to support the summation of speed principle (BUNN 1972), no support for invariant relative timing (SCHMIDT 1975), and little support for invariant absolute movement (downswing) times (WOLLSTEILN ABERNETHY 1988). Verf.-Referat