Assessing the Impact of a Virtual Reality Cognitive Intervention on Tennis Performance in Junior Tennis Players: a Pilot Study (Preprint)

BACKGROUND There is evidence that cognitive training interventions can positively impact executive functions. While engagement of executive functions is suggested to be part of high-level sporting activities, it is unclear whether such training approaches could directly benefit athletic performance. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of a combined virtual reality (VR) and tablet-based cognitive training intervention on adolescent tennis player performance. METHODS Data were collected from a cohort of tennis players with a Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) in a randomized controlled trial design. Participants (N=23, age: 14.8 +- 2.4) were randomized into an intervention + training-as-usual group or training-as-usual group, with the change in UTR score being the primary metric of interest. RESULTS There was no difference in UTR between the two groups at baseline. Following the treatment period, individuals in the intervention group showed a significant improvement in their UTR scores, unlike the training-as-usual group. An Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) revealed a significantly greater improvement in UTR for the intervention group compared to the training-as-usual group. CONCLUSIONS These preliminary pilot findings suggest that the Mastermind Cognitive Training program™ may be a viable tool for supplementing athletic training practices, although this result warrants further investigation and replication.