Effect of an intervention program that uses elastic bands on the improvement of the forehand topspin stroke in young table tennis athletes

The purpose of the current study was to assess the effect of an intervention program with elastic bands on the improvement of the table tennis Forehand Topspin stroke accuracy and effectiveness at developmental ages. The sample of the study consisted of twenty four male and female table tennis players aged 13.75 ± 2.24, with weight 48.33 ± 11.50, height 1.58 ± 14.40 and time of experience 3.8 ± 1.31 years. Following an initial evaluation test which recorded the success and accuracy of the Forehand Topspin stroke the sample was divided into two equivalent groups (experimental and control). To ensure the accuracy and stability of the strokes, the participants used a specific training robot, which presented the same degree of difficulty for all. Next, the two groups followed the same training program, with the experimental group executing additional exercises with elastic bands after the end of the usual training, for 12 weeks. The measurements included two-way analyses of variance; a repeated (initial - final measurements) and an independent. The results showed that both groups presented a statistically significant improvement concerning Forehand Topspin strokes, while the experimental group increased successful strokes considerably and reduced unsuccessful ones (p