SELECTION AND APPLICATION OF SPORT-SPECIFIC PHYSICAL FITNESS EXERCISES FOR MALE STUDENT TABLE TENNIS ATHLETES AT DANANG SPORTS UNIVERSITY, VIETNAM

Nguyen Ngoc Tuan, Tran Manh Hung

Abstract


This study aimed to develop and implement a system of sport-specific physical fitness exercises for male student table tennis athletes at Danang Sports University, Vietnam. In response to the increasing physical demands of modern table tennis, the research addresses the need for athletes to develop superior conditioning to effectively execute complex technical and tactical skills during high-intensity competition. The study focused on key physical components that directly influence performance, including movement speed, speed-strength, speed endurance, motor coordination, flexibility, and agility. A multi-method approach was employed, incorporating documentary analysis, pedagogical observation, expert interviews, pedagogical testing, and a training experiment. Twelve male student-athletes were randomly assigned to either an experimental or a control group. Sport-specific fitness was assessed using four validated tests: a diagonal ball-collection test, a weighted racket (0.5 kg) forehand-backhand coordination test, a two-minute single-rope skipping test, and a push-up test. The experimental training program, grounded in the principles of specificity, progressive overload, and systematic organization, was conducted over 12 weeks with two sessions per week. Results indicated that the exercise system significantly improved sport-specific physical fitness in the experimental group compared to the control group, with notable gains in speed-strength, motor coordination, and speed endurance. These findings highlight the importance of designing training exercises that closely mirror the specific movement patterns and physiological requirements of the sport. This study provides both theoretical and practical foundations for table tennis training and pedagogy at the university level, offering an applicable exercise system aimed at optimizing training effectiveness and enhancing the competitive performance of student-athletes.

 

Article visualizations:

Hit counter


Keywords


table tennis, sport-specific physical fitness, physical training exercises, student-athletes, sports training

Full Text:

PDF

References


a. Vietnamese Sources

Bompa, T. O. (2003). Theory and Methodology of Modern Sports Training. National Sports Publishing House.

Duong, N. C. (2004). Sports Measurement. National Sports Publishing House.

Duong, N. C., Nguyen, K. M., & Nguyen, D. H. V. (2000). Exercise and Sport Physiology. National Sports Publishing House.

Le, B., & Nguyen, T. T. (1991). Theory and Methodology of Youth Sports. National Sports Publishing House.

Nguyen, T., & Pham, D. T. (2000). Theory and Methodology of Physical Education and Sports]. National Sports Publishing House.

Tran, D. D. (2001). Physical Conditioning in Sports]. National Sports Publishing House.

General Department of Sports and Physical Training. (2002). Table Tennis – Athlete Training Curriculum. National Sports Publishing House.

Vu, D. T. (2005). Scientific Research Methods in Physical Education and Sports. National Sports Publishing House.

b. International Sources

Baechle, T. R., & Earle, R. W. (2008). Essentials of strength training and conditioning (3rd ed.). Human Kinetics. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/298559447_Essentials_of_Strength_Training_and_Conditioning_3E

Bompa, T. O., & Haff, G. G. (2009). Periodization: Theory and methodology of training (5th ed.). Human Kinetics. Retrieved from https://books.google.ro/books/about/Periodization.html?id=pu96DwAAQBAJ&redir_esc=y

Elliott, B., Reid, M., & Crespo, M. (2009). Technique development in racket sports. ITF Ltd. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274370971_Technique_Development_in_Tennis_Stroke_Production

Lees, A. (2003). Science and the major racket sports: A review. Journal of Sports Sciences, 21(9), 707–732. https://doi.org/10.1080/0264041031000140275

Malagoli Lanzoni, I., Di Michele, R., & Merni, F. (2014). A notational analysis of shot characteristics in top-level table tennis players. European Journal of Sport Science, 14(4), 309–317. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2013.819382

Platonov, V. N. (1997). General theory of athlete preparation in Olympic sports. Olympic Literature.

Schmidt, R. A., & Lee, T. D. (2011). Motor control and learning: A behavioral emphasis (5th ed.). Human Kinetics. Retrieved from https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2011-15560-000




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejpe.v13i2.6564

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2026 Nguyen Ngoc Tuan, Tran Manh Hung

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Copyright © 2015 - 2026. European Journal of Physical Education and Sport Science (ISSN 2501 - 1235) is a registered trademark of Open Access Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

This journal is a serial publication uniquely identified by an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) serial number certificate issued by Romanian National Library (Biblioteca Nationala a Romaniei). All the research works are uniquely identified by a CrossRef DOI digital object identifier supplied by indexing and repository platforms. All authors who send their manuscripts to this journal and whose articles are published on this journal retain full copyright of their articles. All the research works published on this journal are meeting the Open Access Publishing requirements and can be freely accessed, shared, modified, distributed and used in educational, commercial and non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).