Exploring the impact of drills training and grip strength on tennis serve performance: A factorial experimental design research

Problem statement: The influence of drills and strength training methods on tennis court serve has attracted significant attention among scholars in tennis sports science. Nevertheless, it remains unclear what specific effects these trainings have, especially on serve performance. Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the impact of several training models, such as the flat drills training and the drills serve twist exercise models, and grip strength, on tennis serve skills among students at the Faculty of Sports Sciences, Manado State University. Approach: The research employed a quasi-experimental design with a 2 x 2 factorial structure. The population comprised sports science students who have completed court tennis courses. The samples were selected from 127 male sports science students using purposive sampling techniques. Then, 40 students agreed to participate (20,8 ± 0,1 years old). In this research, the skills of tennis courts were measured using service skill tests. Meanwhile, the grip strengths of the arm muscles were assessed using the Hand Grip Dynamometer tool (HGD). Results: This study showed several essential findings. First, the result indicated a significant difference between court tennis serve skills using a flat serve drills training model and a twist drill serve exercise model. Second, at the level of strong grip strength, court tennis serve skills using the flat serve drills exercise model was higher than those using the drills serve twist training model at low grip strength levels. In addition, court tennis serve skills with the drills serve twist exercise model were higher than those with the flat serve drills training model. Another interesting finding was the relationship between the flat serve drills training model and the twist serve drills training model with grip strength on court tennis serve skills. Conclusions. In conclusion, the findings of this study reveal several key insights regarding the impact of different training models on court tennis serve skills, particularly when considering grip strength levels. These insights provide valuable guidance for coaches and athletes seeking to enhance their court tennis serve skills. They can tailor their training programs to specific skills and grip strength profiles.