Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: Oct 2, 2024
Open Peer Review Period: Oct 2, 2024 - Oct 31, 2024
Date Accepted: Jan 16, 2025
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
Assessing the Impact of a Virtual Reality Cognitive Intervention on Tennis Performance in Junior Tennis Players: A Pilot Study
ABSTRACT
Background:
There is evidence that cognitive training interventions can positively impact executive functions. While engagement of executive functions is suggested to be part of high-level sporting activities, it is unclear whether such training approaches could directly benefit athletic performance.
Objective:
The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of a combined virtual reality (VR) and tablet-based cognitive training intervention on adolescent tennis player performance.
Methods:
Data were collected from a cohort of tennis players with a Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) in a randomized controlled trial design. Participants (N=23, age: 14.8 +- 2.4) were randomized into an intervention + training-as-usual group or training-as-usual group, with the change in UTR score being the primary metric of interest.
Results:
There was no difference in UTR between the two groups at baseline. Following the treatment period, individuals in the intervention group showed a significant improvement in their UTR scores, unlike the training-as-usual group. An Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) revealed a significantly greater improvement in UTR for the intervention group compared to the training-as-usual group.
Conclusions:
These preliminary pilot findings suggest that the Mastermind Cognitive Training program™ may be a viable tool for supplementing athletic training practices, although this result warrants further investigation and replication.
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Copyright
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