Court Tennis Referee Decision Making: How does Mastery of Game Rules, Stress Management, and Concentration Affect it?

Abstract

Various previous studies have examined the important role of referees in leading sports matches. However, there are very limited studies examining how mastery of game rules, stress management, and concentration affect the decision making of court tennis referees. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to analyze and evaluate mastery of game rules, stress management, and concentration on court tennis referee decision making. A total of 40 court tennis referees in West Sumatra, Indonesia participated in this study. Participants are referees who are registered as members of the Indonesian Lawn Tennis Association in West Sumatra, consisting of males (n=33) and females (n=7). Data were collected through questionnaires and concentration exercise grid tests for concentration. Then the data were analyzed with correlation and regression. The results showed that mastery of game rules, stress management, and concentration had a significant relationship with tennis referee decision making (P<0.05), either partially or simultaneously. The partial influence was 64.80%, 52.40%, and 63.90%, while simultaneously was 78.30%. Of these three factors, mastery of game rules is an important factor influencing the decision making of tennis referees (64.80%), without neglecting concentration (63.90%), and stress management (52.40%). In conclusion, mastery of game rules, stress management, and concentration are important factors that need to be possessed by referees in leading matches. This research is expected to be useful for tennis referees as an evaluation of the importance of these factors in leading a match, so that the decisions taken are truly appropriate and do not harm any of the competing parties. Future research is needed for a larger sample size, and to include other factors that influence court tennis referee decision making.