Effects of a 6-Week Agility Training Program on Emotional Intelligence and Attention Levels in Adolescent Tennis Players
Tennis can be a mentally challenging sport, and emotional intelligence (EI) contributes significantly to an athlete’s psychological well-being. Thus, this study investigated the effects of 6 weeks of a combined Change of Direction (CoD) and reactive agility (RA) intervention program on emotional int...
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MDPI AG
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Applied Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/14/3/1070 |
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| author | Walid Selmi Achraf Hammami Raouf Hammami Halil İbrahim Ceylan Ryland Morgans Jozef Simenko |
| author_facet | Walid Selmi Achraf Hammami Raouf Hammami Halil İbrahim Ceylan Ryland Morgans Jozef Simenko |
| author_sort | Walid Selmi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Tennis can be a mentally challenging sport, and emotional intelligence (EI) contributes significantly to an athlete’s psychological well-being. Thus, this study investigated the effects of 6 weeks of a combined Change of Direction (CoD) and reactive agility (RA) intervention program on emotional intelligence (EI) in pubertal tennis players. A total of 28 youth tennis players, aged 11 to 14 years, were randomly assigned to an experimental group (EXP-G, n = 15, 13 boys [age = 13.34 ± 0.98 years, maturity offset (MO) = −0.19 ± 0.96], and 2 girls [age = 12.77 ± 0.23 years, MO = 0.78 ± 0.04]) or a control group (CON-G, n = 13, 8 boys [age = 13.37 ± 0.75 years, MO = 0.00 ± 0.71], and 5 girls [age = 13.50 ± 0.92 years, MO = 1.41 ± 1.07]). The EXP-G performed combined CoD and RA training across the 6-week intervention period. The CON-G continued with the normal five 20 min regular tennis-specific training sessions per week, including technical and tactical drills and a small-sided games format. The overall training volume was similar between groups. Pre- and post-training, Profile of Emotional Competence (PEC, [EC TOTAL: global score of emotional competence level; EC INTRA: score of intra-personal emotional competence; EC INTER: score of inter-personal emotional competence]) and d2 attention tests were assessed. The present study employed an Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) with pre-test covariance to assess between-group differences (EXP-G vs. CON-G) at the post-test phase, utilizing baseline values as covariates. Noteworthy outcomes were observed, indicating statistically significant and substantial between-group disparities at post-test for various measures. Specifically, these differences were evident in the attention domain (effect size, d = 1.08 [Large], <i>p</i> = 0.001), the EC TOTAL test (effect size, d = 0.70 [Medium], <i>p</i> = 0.017), the EC INTA (effect size, d = 1.35 [Large], <i>p</i> = 0.001), and the EC INTER (effect size, d = 0.83 [Large], <i>p</i> = 0.009) tests. Due to the importance of agility training for overall competitive performance in tennis, our results suggest that young players should perform such training programs as part of conditioning training if the goal is to improve emotional intelligence and mental well-being. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T04:01:07Z |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T04:01:07Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
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| spelling | doaj.art-f3565bbdb1cb4de9bbfc054b0588a09f2024-02-09T15:07:36ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172024-01-01143107010.3390/app14031070Effects of a 6-Week Agility Training Program on Emotional Intelligence and Attention Levels in Adolescent Tennis PlayersWalid Selmi0Achraf Hammami1Raouf Hammami2Halil İbrahim Ceylan3Ryland Morgans4Jozef Simenko5Higher Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Ksar-Said, Manouba University, Manouba 2010, TunisiaHigher Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Ksar-Said, Manouba University, Manouba 2010, TunisiaHigher Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Ksar-Said, Manouba University, Manouba 2010, TunisiaPhysical Education and Sports Teaching Department, Kazim Karabekir Faculty of Education, Ataturk University, Erzurum 25240, TurkeySchool of Sport and Health Sciences, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Cardiff CF23 6XD, UKFaculty of Sport, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, SloveniaTennis can be a mentally challenging sport, and emotional intelligence (EI) contributes significantly to an athlete’s psychological well-being. Thus, this study investigated the effects of 6 weeks of a combined Change of Direction (CoD) and reactive agility (RA) intervention program on emotional intelligence (EI) in pubertal tennis players. A total of 28 youth tennis players, aged 11 to 14 years, were randomly assigned to an experimental group (EXP-G, n = 15, 13 boys [age = 13.34 ± 0.98 years, maturity offset (MO) = −0.19 ± 0.96], and 2 girls [age = 12.77 ± 0.23 years, MO = 0.78 ± 0.04]) or a control group (CON-G, n = 13, 8 boys [age = 13.37 ± 0.75 years, MO = 0.00 ± 0.71], and 5 girls [age = 13.50 ± 0.92 years, MO = 1.41 ± 1.07]). The EXP-G performed combined CoD and RA training across the 6-week intervention period. The CON-G continued with the normal five 20 min regular tennis-specific training sessions per week, including technical and tactical drills and a small-sided games format. The overall training volume was similar between groups. Pre- and post-training, Profile of Emotional Competence (PEC, [EC TOTAL: global score of emotional competence level; EC INTRA: score of intra-personal emotional competence; EC INTER: score of inter-personal emotional competence]) and d2 attention tests were assessed. The present study employed an Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) with pre-test covariance to assess between-group differences (EXP-G vs. CON-G) at the post-test phase, utilizing baseline values as covariates. Noteworthy outcomes were observed, indicating statistically significant and substantial between-group disparities at post-test for various measures. Specifically, these differences were evident in the attention domain (effect size, d = 1.08 [Large], <i>p</i> = 0.001), the EC TOTAL test (effect size, d = 0.70 [Medium], <i>p</i> = 0.017), the EC INTA (effect size, d = 1.35 [Large], <i>p</i> = 0.001), and the EC INTER (effect size, d = 0.83 [Large], <i>p</i> = 0.009) tests. Due to the importance of agility training for overall competitive performance in tennis, our results suggest that young players should perform such training programs as part of conditioning training if the goal is to improve emotional intelligence and mental well-being.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/14/3/1070attentiondecision makingemotional competencepsychological adaptationspeedyouth tennis players |
| spellingShingle | Walid Selmi Achraf Hammami Raouf Hammami Halil İbrahim Ceylan Ryland Morgans Jozef Simenko Effects of a 6-Week Agility Training Program on Emotional Intelligence and Attention Levels in Adolescent Tennis Players Applied Sciences attention decision making emotional competence psychological adaptation speed youth tennis players |
| title | Effects of a 6-Week Agility Training Program on Emotional Intelligence and Attention Levels in Adolescent Tennis Players |
| title_full | Effects of a 6-Week Agility Training Program on Emotional Intelligence and Attention Levels in Adolescent Tennis Players |
| title_fullStr | Effects of a 6-Week Agility Training Program on Emotional Intelligence and Attention Levels in Adolescent Tennis Players |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of a 6-Week Agility Training Program on Emotional Intelligence and Attention Levels in Adolescent Tennis Players |
| title_short | Effects of a 6-Week Agility Training Program on Emotional Intelligence and Attention Levels in Adolescent Tennis Players |
| title_sort | effects of a 6 week agility training program on emotional intelligence and attention levels in adolescent tennis players |
| topic | attention decision making emotional competence psychological adaptation speed youth tennis players |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/14/3/1070 |
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