Abstract
The objective of the present study is to analyze the effects of motor mental imagery training on tennis service performance among tennis athletes who fast during Ramadan. Participants were 38 young male tennis players, randomly divided into two groups: Imaging Training (IMG, n = 18) and control group (CG, n = 20). The CG has watched videos on the history of the Olympic Games, while IMG has followed a training program in motor imagery. The performance of the tennis service was obtained by the product between accuracy and speed of typing (accuracy × average speed of all shots (km/h)). The effect of group/time interaction (p < 0.01) was identified for all performance indicators (accuracy, running speed and performance (speed × precision)), with improvement only in IMG (p = 0.01). The results showed that motor imagery training could be an effective strategy for mitigating/counteracting the negative effects of Ramadan on the tennis service performance.
Highlights
The fasting of Ramadan is an important religious tradition observed in the Muslim world, in whichMuslims in good health are required to abstain from drinking, eating, and having sexual intercourse, from early dawn to sunset
It should be noted that no significant difference was identified for body mass and body mass index (BMI) at T1 compared to T0
Ramadan (T0), (b) in training condition without lower at T1 compared to T0 (p < 0.001) (Figure 3), the service accuracy measured at T2motor imaging the analyses revealed a decrease the (b) performance of servicewithout accuracy at and during at T3 didRamadan, not differ from that measured before
Summary
The fasting of Ramadan is an important religious tradition observed in the Muslim world, in whichMuslims in good health are required to abstain from drinking, eating, and having sexual intercourse, from early dawn to sunset. The fasting of Ramadan has occurred during the summer, with many national tennis events in Tunisia (for example, regional tournaments, championship games and tennis shots) and international ones (for example, the tennis tournament Roland Garros in 2017), taking place during this month. Due to this coincidence between hot temperature and fasting, Muslim tennis players fasting during the month of Ramadan should pay particular attention to the high dehydration caused by fasting during the day, the hot weather conditions and their interaction, which can affect their sports performance [2]. Several studies have shown that the effects of Ramadan fasting on athletic performance depend on an array of various factors, such as the physical conditions of the participants, whether or not they are able to maintain the same training load compared to pre-Ramadan, and the nature of the effort provided [3,4,5,6,7]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
