Talented Identification Process Of Youth Table Tennis Players (Male) Using An Eye-Hand Coordination Test

Objective:This study examined the eye hand coordination ability among 140 youth male table tennis players between 13 and 16 years old,which are divided into 4 groups,8-9 years old group,10-11 years old group,12-13 years old group and 14-15years old group,through a ball throw-catch task.And the group will be divided into 2 categories,the amateur players(<3times/week)and the professional players(>5 times/week),to find out the how the training influence the development trend of the teenagers‘'eye-hand coordination ability.Then the condition of the test will be changed,to find out the version with high discrimination and reliability.Method:the table tennis ball was used to conduct the test and the ball was thrown toward a vertical table,with two hands above the shoulder.The participant stands 1 meter or 1.5 meters away from the vertical table.The amount of the ball that one player caught in 30 seconds and 60 seconds were recorded directly as his score.Firstly,examine the discriminate function of the each test.After that,the comparative analysis of the effect of different version on the degree of discrimination and reliability were processed,using Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve(ROC)and Interclass Correlation Coefficient.Finally,the best version(s)was selected and the cut-off point could be found using the characteristics of the ROC.Results:(1)the amateur table tennis players between 8-13 years old show no significant difference with the professional ones,but the significant difference was found at the group of 14-15years old between the amateur and professional players.Regarding to the rules of the national team's recruitment,14-15years old would be the best age to select the potential players through the eye hand coordination ability.(2)the version of lm60s and 1.5m60s have the higher discrimination and reliability.Conclusion:(1)14-15years old would be the best age to select the potential players through the eye hand coordination ability.(2)The addition of the distance increase the reliability of the test.(3)With the condition of lm60s,60 balls' score is the best cut-off point,92.3%of the professional players and 75%of the general players could be selected correctly,while the cut-off grade is 59 balls under 1.5m60s,and the corresponding percentages are 76.9%and 100%.This research provides the coach with a more objective and practical test method to examine the eye hand coordination ability,and the eye hand coordination test and the 60 balls' score under 1m60s,and 59 balls' score under 1.5m60s could provide reference for talent identification and training in the future.Furthermore,the enhancement of the sample will increase the accuracy of the test.