Playing AVI During Tennis Training Process (AVIT)

Impact of Active Video Games on Motor- and Visual Spatial-learning Capabilities During the Process of Tennis Training in Young Children

Developing movement capabilities and efficiently acquiring and assimilating movement information and knowledge in middle childhood stages is of great importance for performing complex movement structures in later stages of life. Our study is directed to researching the influence of active video games (AVG) on assessment of tennis motor skills and visual capabilities in middle childhood, as a part of two separate sub-researches.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Cognitive Change; Learning, Spatial
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: Active video games; Other: tennis training process

Detailed Description

In the first sub-research, which included a sample of 55 children aged between 7 and 9, the investigators measured the physiological responses of bodies after acute and chronic exposure to playing AVG. The investigators established a significant difference in skin conductance before beginning the intervention between the virtual and actual game. After the intervention, the experimental group had a significantly higher average value of heart rate frequency and breathing frequency while playing AVG in comparison to the control group.

In the second sub-research the investigators measured progress in tennis technique (TRSC test), development of gross motor skills and change in reaction time on the same group of children. In the TRSC test, the control group improved in all sub-groups with both strokes. The experimental group made no improvements in sub-group 3d with the ''forehand'', 1d and 3d with the ''backhand''. In the gross motor skill development test the investigators have not established a significant interaction effect. In the analogue reaction time measurement test, the investigators recorded a significant interaction between time x group. The same goes for Simon's test with incongruent stimuli, with congruent the interaction was of no relevance.

The investigators established that the use of AVG can represent a new strategy for combining movement/sports activities and cognitively directed tasks aiming at effective assessment of tennis skills.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 55
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Slovenia
  • Izola, Slovenia, 6310
    • Tenis klub San Simon Izola

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 7 years to 9 years (Child)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age limit

Exclusion Criteria:

• excluded were players with injuries or long-term body impairments that prevented them from performing shots as they are usually instructed.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: I-AVI; The I-AVI group were involved in a regular tennis training process, two times a week for one hour. Additionally right after the tennis lessons they played a Virtua Tennis 4 active video game for 20 minutes per participant. They use the playstation kinect console. The intervention lasted 6 months.	Device: Active video games; Participants played the active video game Virtua tennis 4 on a playstation kinect device; Other: tennis training process; Participants were involved in a regular tennis training process, performed two times a week for one hour per lesson.
Active Comparator: NO-AVI; The NO_AVI group were involved in a regular tennis training process, two times a week for one hour. The training process lasted 6 months.	Other: tennis training process; Participants were involved in a regular tennis training process, performed two times a week for one hour per lesson.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Psychophysiological body responses 1: skin conductance	Skin conductance measured in micro siemens	change from baseline to 3-months intervention
Psychophysiological body responses 2: skin temperature	Skin temperature measured in Celsius	change from baseline to 3-months intervention
Psychophysiological body responses 3: heart rate frequency	hear rate measured in beats per minute	change from baseline to 3-months intervention
Psychophysiological body responses 4: breathing frequency	breathing frequency measured in breaths per minute	change from baseline to 3-months intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
TGMD-3 scale (Test of Gross Motor Development-Third Edition)	The TGMD-3 has two subtests. The first subtest, Locomotor, measures the gross motor skills that require fluid coordinated movements of the body as the child moves in one direction or another. The second subtest, Ball Skills, measure the gross motor skills that demonstrate efficient throwing, striking, and catching movements. The TGMD-3 provides an overall composite score (Gross Motor). The two subtest scaled scores are combined to form the Gross Motor composite. The Examiner's Manual discusses the test's theoretical and research-based foundation, item development, standardization, administration and scoring procedures, normative tables, and guidelines for using and interpreting the test's results. The TGMD-3 scale is used to measure the fundamental motor skills in 3-10 year-old children with typical development. The raw score for locomotor subtest is between 0 and 46, while the raw score for ball skills is between 0 and 54. The overall raw score for the test is between 0 and 100.	change from baseline to 3-months intervention

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Manual/analog visuomotor reaction time task	The time needed to catch a suspended vertical shaft by hand closure, measured in centimeters and then calculated in milliseconds.	change from baseline to 3-months intervention
Simon task	Congruent and incongruent stimuli measured in milliseconds.	change from baseline to 3-months intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Marusic
• Collaborators: University of Primorska; Science and Research Centre Koper

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Slosar L, de Bruin ED, Fontes EB, Plevnik M, Pisot R, Simunic B, Marusic U. Additional Exergames to Regular Tennis Training Improves Cognitive-Motor Functions of Children but May Temporarily Affect Tennis Technique: A Single-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial. Front Psychol. 2021 Mar 15;12:611382. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.611382. eCollection 2021.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 1, 2018
• Primary Completion (Actual): January 1, 2019
• Study Completion (Actual): January 1, 2020

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 6, 2019
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 9, 2019
• First Posted (Actual): May 10, 2019

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 1, 2020
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 29, 2020
• Last Verified: April 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: stroke technique; psychophysiological body responses; visual perceptual skills; reaction time.
• Other Study ID Numbers: AVITENNIS

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No