Development of a Tactical Analysis Application for Table Tennis

Computer applications are used for the analysis of sports tactics because of the high efficiency of such analysis, and thus, a tactical analysis application that can improve analysis efficiency is desired. This study looks at the development of a tactical analysis application for table tennis with a focus on high efficiency. The functions of the developed system are as follows: (1) information about a table tennis play can be input efficiently, (2) statistical information can be output instantly and (3) output information can be associated with video footage so that visual analysis can be conducted concurrently. Using the developed application, the tactical analysis of two matches yielded the following results: (1) The information input time comprised 61% and 75% of the video footage time of the matches, respectively. (2) A general analysis of the characteristics of each player, such as differences in scoring average during service rallies or during receiving rallies and differences in proportion of scoring points per number of shots in a rally, could be obtained. (3) Detailed analyses of the play characteristics of each player could be obtained through observation of the video footage associated with the output information.