Evaluation of elite table tennis players' technique effectiveness

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Biomechanics
• Performance Analysis

Background:

• Evaluating table tennis player effectiveness requires objective metrics.
• Existing methods may not fully capture the nuances of technique application and performance correlation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a technique effectiveness evaluation formula for table tennis.
• To establish criteria for evaluating technique effectiveness using match data.
• To build a competition performance formula and explore its correlation with technique effectiveness.

Main Methods:

• Analyzing 224 matches involving the world's top 35 table tennis players.
• Constructing formulas based on the scoring rate and usage rate of techniques.
• Utilizing score difference theory to build a competition performance formula.

Main Results:

• Three indices – TE₁,₃ (first and third strokes), TE₂,₄ (second and fourth strokes), and TE(>₄) (after fourth strokes) – effectively evaluate elite player technique.
• Chinese elite players demonstrated 'excellent' technique effectiveness overall, except for males in 'first and third strokes'.
• Players from other countries/regions generally scored 'general' in technique effectiveness.

Conclusions:

• The developed technique effectiveness indices (TE₁,₃, TE₂,₄, TE(>₄)) are valuable for assessing elite table tennis players.
• Comparative analysis highlights strengths of Chinese players and areas for improvement.
• Correlation analysis between technique effectiveness and competition performance identifies key performance indicators.