Effects of physical performance improvements on football-tennis technical skills in middle-school students

Abstract

Aim. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of an 8-week football-tennis training program, implemented during physical education classes, on physical performance (vertical jump height, 20 m sprint time, change-of-direction time, jump endurance, reactive strength index) and technical skills (service accuracy, total volleys, longest rally, controlled receiving) in untrained rural middle-school boys.

Material and method. Twenty-six male students aged 13–15 years completed a pre–post intervention consisting of two football-tennis–based sessions per week within regular PE lessons. Physical performance was assessed using standardized field tests, while technical skills were evaluated through accuracy- and consistency-based football-tennis tasks. Height and body weight were also recorded.

Results. Vertical jump height increased from 27.07 to 30.39 cm, 20 m sprint time improved from 3.86 to 3.57 s, and change-of-direction time decreased from 14.67 to 13.82 s. Jump endurance rose from 27.15 to 31.38 repetitions, and reactive strength index increased from 1.46 to 1.71. Technical performance showed selective improvements: total volleys increased from 32.6 to 39.7 and longest rally from 12.3 to 17.5 (both statistically significant). In contrast, service accuracy (70.0% to 69.5%) and controlled receiving (74.8% to 74.3%) did not vary statistically significantly.

Conclusions. The training program produced clear gains in explosive strength, sprint speed, agility, jump endurance, and reactive ability, and moderate improvements in volley-related technical performance. However, precision-based skills such as service accuracy and controlled receiving remained statistically unchanged, suggesting that longer or more specialized technical practice may be necessary. These findings support the integration of structured football-tennis training within school physical education programs.