Creative Mental Abilities and Their Relationship to Skill Accuracy in Tennis among Third-Year Students

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the level of creative mental abilities and examine their relationship with skill accuracy in selected tennis skills among third-year students at the College of Physical Education and Sports Sciences. The study was motivated by the important role of mental abilities, particularly creative thinking, in enhancing technical performance and enabling rapid and accurate decision-making when executing sports skills in the changing situations characteristic of tennis. The researchers employed a descriptive correlational method, which was appropriate to the nature of the research problem and its objectives. The study population consisted of third-year students, and a purposive sample of 30 students was selected. The researchers used a creative mental abilities scale and skill-accuracy tests in tennis, including the modified Hewitt test to assess the accuracy of the serve and the forehand and backhand groundstrokes. Data were analyzed using the arithmetic mean, standard deviation, and Pearson’s simple correlation coefficient. The findings indicated that the students’ level of creative mental abilities was moderate, tending toward good. Statistically significant positive correlations were also found between creative mental abilities and skill accuracy across all the tennis skills examined. The strongest correlation was observed for the forehand groundstroke, followed by the backhand groundstroke and then the serve. The researchers concluded that developing creative mental abilities can contribute meaningfully to improving skill accuracy in tennis. Accordingly, they recommended that mental abilities be given greater consideration alongside technical skills in educational and training programs.