Eficacia del empleo de tecnologías portables para la monitorización de indicadores de rendimiento y salud en tenistas

Abstract

New portable technologies are increasingly used in racquet sports. Its applications cover kinematic and kinetic analysis, the evaluation of physiological parameters, the study of psychological aspects, the optimization of performance and the prevention of musculoskeletal injuries. For this reason, in this thesis 4 studies have been developed aimed at the final creation of a comprehensive tennis player analysis application based on virtual advisors. The objectives of this thesis were: i) evaluate the validity and reliability of wearable technologies applicable to tennis (studies 1 and 2); ii) use wearable technologies in an applied manner to obtain conclusions of biomechanical importance in real tennis game situations (studies 3 and 4); iv) develop a mobile application based on the use of virtual advisors with all the data obtained in the different studies. Two types of methodologies were used: evaluation protocols were carried out under laboratory conditions (study 2). Since in this case it was necessary to use a non-portable reference system for the validation of the sensors used. On the other hand, in the rest of the studies (studies 1, 3 and 4), the methodology was based on on-court evaluation protocols through the development of stroke tests and planning standardized training sessions. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the new wearable technologies used in the present work, to monitor biomechanical and physiological parameters in tennis players. Regarding the two validations of wearable technologies (studies 1 and 2), both turned out to be valid and reliable tools to measure heart rate and kinematics during tennis practice, respectively. With studies 3 and 4, conclusions of biomechanical value were obtained through the field application of wearable technologies. Specifically, the differences between the one-handed and two-handed backhand were evaluated in terms of speed, precision and kinematics (study 3). On the other hand, the motor variability of the main tennis strokes was measured depending on the type of stroke, level of play and body segment of the tennis player (study 4). In conclusion, the wearable systems used constitute an alternative, low cost and easy to configure and use. In addition, they provide parameters measured in real game situations, which is a great advantage over traditional evaluation systems in laboratory conditions. Finally, the developed application must continue to be perfected, through the implementation of all the data collected in the studies and new functionalities with the future objective of evaluating with a longitudinal study how its use affects the global learning process of tennis. Which would confirm it as a valuable instrument for tennis coaches, players and researchers and, in the future, adaptable to any other racket sport.