Analysing Types of Skills Required for Football and Tennis
Passing in football and a serve in tennis require similar but also different types of skill.
Types of skills required for a pass in football are:
Open
Discrete
Gross
Motor - fundamental and complex
Cognitive
Perceptual
Types of skills required for a serve in tennis are:
Closed
Serial
Gross
Motor - fundamental and complex
Cognitive
As you can see from the list above there are several similarities and differences between the two skills but this is because the two skills are produced in different environments.
The similarities between a pass in football and a serve in tennis are that they both require gross, motor and cognitive skills.
They both require gross skills as both skills use large muscle groups to produce the skill. A pass in football will require using the muscles in your hamstring (bicep femoris, semitendinosus and semimembranosus) and a serve in tennis will require using your deltoid (posterior and exterior), bicep brachii and tricep brachii. They don't require fine skills as both a pass in football and a serve in tennis do not involve using intricate movements.
A pass in football and a serve in tennis both require both parts of the motor skill (fundamental and complex) as they both need basic skills to be able to produce complex skills - passing and serving.
Both skills require using cognitive skills as they both involve a great deal of thinking. A pass in football requires decision making such as: how hard to pass the ball, where to pass the ball, to hit the ball in the air or on the ground and who to pass the ball to. A tennis serve also requires decision making such as: how hard to hit the ball, where to hit the ball, whether or not to swerve the ball and where to stand when serving the ball.
There are also a couple of differences between the two skills. I have said that a pass in football requires an open skill where as a serve in tennis requires a closed skill, a pass in football requires a discrete skill where as a serve in tennis requires a serial skill. I have also said that a pass in football requires perceptual skill but i don't think that a tennis serve requires much of this.
A pass in football is an open skill rather than a closed skill because as it is affected by the environment in several different ways as the weather (sunny, rainy, snowy), opposition (who you are playing), teammates position (formation), officials (referees and linesmen), playing surface (firm/soft ground, flat/'bobbly' pitch) and to some extent the crowd influence the skill. The skill is externally paced because other players influence the timing of the skill.
A tennis serve is a closed skill rather than an open skill because a serve isn't affected by the environment as the performer knows exactly what and when to do as they are in a stable situation. The skill is self-paced as the performer controls the rate at which the skill is executed.
A pass in football is a discrete skill rather than a serial or continuous skill because it is single, specific skill which has a clear beginning and end - from the player passing the ball to a team mate receiving the ball. It doesn't contain a series of movements and isn't a continuous skill as a player does not constantly pass the ball for a whole 90 minute football match.
A tennis serve is a serial skill rather than a discrete or continuous skill because it contains a series of movements - throwing the ball up and hitting it over the net. It isn't a discrete skill as it isn't one single movement and it isn't a continuous skill as you don't serve a ball all the way through a tennis match.
I think that a pass in football requires perceptual skill where as i dont think you really need perceptual skill for a tennis serve because when serving the ball the environment doesn't really change so you having got much to interpret. The only real environmental factor is the playing surface as this may vary through the season. A pass in football requires alot of perceptual skills as a pass in football is dependant on the environment as it is constantly changing. You constantly have to decide what to do with the ball depending on the conditions. The main factor is the opposition and teammates e.g. if an opponent is closing you down it narrows down your options of where and who you can pass to.

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