Chapter one
The 4T method: Testing, Teaching, Training, Testing.
The 4T Method is a method of optimization of the phases of teaching and training as well as an effective tool to customize the strategy, the tactics and the mental preparation based on the acquisition of the real and objective values of the technique in executing strokes.
The 4T Method is an universal evaluation tool that can be combined with any type of technical education and training and it develops in four basic phases, each with an english definition beginning with T:
- Testing: it carries out a test of the real and objective values of the technical movements in executing strokes on the playing court with video recordings in slow motion.
- Teaching: it carries out the analysis of the test results, sets out the objectives and it is useful to the instructor to make the student understand and interiorize the technical adjustments to the movements in executing strokes.
- Training: it consists of a set of repetitive exercises concerning the stroke movements to be modified, so as to assimilate the technical changes and stabilize their automatisms.
- Testing: it carries out the test again that monitors the achievement of the objectives in comparison to the first.
The 4T Test is a fundamental part of the 4T Method, is structured by difficulty levels and is suitable for all levels from beginners to professionals.
Before performing the test it is always necessary to carry out adequate general warm-up and stretching exercices.
The 4T Test is carried out with video analysis equipments for filming in slow motion and with the use of the 4T tennis ball machine that has graduated settings for each value of throwing of the ball, height, speed, spinning and delay.
This allows you to perform the same type of test, in different places and at different times always having the advantage of comparing the results obtained.
The values of 4T Test are obtained from the statistic of several series of strokes played on the tennis court.
Each series of strokes requires the maximum performance of the player in the achievement of a specific goal, which is to play the shot from a specific area of the court trying to get a specific trajectory of the ball that bounces in a predetermined area by the value + 1.00, in adjacent areas will have instead a value +0.75, +0.25 or 0.00.
The total points scored for a specific goal, divided by the total number of strokes played in that series and multiplied by ten, allows to obtain a defined and comparable value.
The number of strokes to be performed for each goal must be ten or multiples of ten, in order to facilitate the calculation.
In this way real and objective values are obtained for every single goal, for the groups of goals related to a every single type of stroke and for the groups of goals related to a group of strokes such as the rebound ones.
The sum of the values of all the goals determines the 4T value of the player as an absolute value. The due Relevancee of the 4T Value is directly proportional to the number of strokes carried out to each goal.
The Relevancee value, calculated on a scale from 1 to 5, is equal to the number of the tens of executions of the strokes played for each goal.
So, the correct comparison of the values of the 4T Test will consider both the value of the objectives and the Significance value of execution of the same.
It should however be noted that a high number of repetitions per series determines an athletic exertion to the player that brings the analysis from the evaluation of the technical gestures of execution of the strokes to the most suitable technical-athletic evaluation for the competitive players.
The results of the 4T Test are thus comparable with those of earlier tests and the ones which were carried out by other players.
From the didactical point of view, the comparison of the 4T Test offers both the teacher and the player the advantage of understanding if and how effective the stages of education and training have been; in addition, teachers can compare the effectiveness degree of the different methods of teaching and training.
The 4T Test can be used to evaluate the technical level and the performance of the strokes of the students in order to determine the working groups in the tennis school, using it as a test for the admission to the course and then to issue a certificate detailing the improvements and the real values obtained from each participant. In the same context, the 4T Test can be used as a technical test for admission to courses leading to a qualification as an instructor or teacher of tennis.
Teachers who use the 4T Method increase the number of students per lesson with an important added promotional value, increase their fees and cut down the cost per capita of the lesson, they get a high working rate through the use of the tennis ball machine and can follow more closely the students to benefit the quality of teaching. In addition, the teacher's work is less strenuous, students are satisfied with the scientific and technological content of the lessons and more time will be available for members of the club.
Therefore, the tennis teacher is encouraged to invest in technology with the purchase of his own 4T Tennis ball machine.
The opening of a 4T Tennis School with the use of the 4T Tennis ball machine, thanks to TennisAsset.com, will give the opportunity to get into an International Open Project of collaboration and growth of the technicians to find new ideas and develop better teaching techniques and training. The school will have a greater visibility and you can better manage it thanks to specific free services including the community, the technical guidelines for performing the 4T Test and the rankings of the players.
The Operational Program of the 4T Tennis School shows how to properly carry out the four phases of the 4T Method.