Integration of competitive routines as a training habit in table tennis players

Abstract

The effects of competition routines on performance have been widely studied. In sports with pauses after each point played, an optimal management of routines between points helps athletes to remain emotionally stable throughout the match. To achieve a consistent application of the routines between points, an intervention was designed to integrate them as a training habit. We worked with a group of table tennis players from CAR Sant Cugat Vallès, in Barcelona (7 girls, 4 boys; M = 15.45 years). First, a workshop on routines between points was carried out, and the routines were set individually. For 12 weeks, the players practiced and recorded the implementation of their routines, and the psychologists followed up on one training session per week, offering immediate feedback on the action. Finally, we compared information pre-post intervention (collected through the IPED questionnaire and semi-structured interviews about the use and the effect of routines). The results at the group level showed a positive evolution in the use of the routines throughout the 12 weeks. There was greater consciousness in the use of routines and more positive effects derived from them in competition than in training. Body language control was the aspect included in the routines that showed the greatest inconsistency. Regarding pre-post analysis, we observed a positive assessment of the group in relation to the use and effectiveness of the routines, especially in competition, but there were no differences in the IPED subscales. The perceived usefulness of the routines is consistent with previous findings regarding the effects on performance, and the intervention may have contributed to the generation of the habit of using the routines in training, although it would be necessary to continue exploring objective ways to evaluate the set-up process and the effect of the routines.