{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,22]],"date-time":"2026-05-22T11:10:14Z","timestamp":1779448214466,"version":"3.53.1"},"reference-count":30,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,22]],"date-time":"2026-05-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1779408000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JFMK"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: In tennis, the volley is an important shot; however, studies describing its movement characteristics have been limited to the forehand volley (FV). In this study, we analyzed the characteristics of upper-limb movement during FV and backhand volley (BV) in skilled and less-skilled tennis players. Methods: Twelve tennis players with experience (skilled group) and eight with little experience (less-skilled group) were included. The participants stood in front of a simulated net and volleyed balls were fed toward the target. Movements were recorded using three video cameras, and three-dimensional coordinates were obtained using the direct linear transformation method. The measured variables were bilateral shoulder rotation angle, pelvic rotation angle, shoulder\u2013pelvis twist angle, and the racket\u2013forearm angle. A two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted with player level (skilled vs. less skilled) and time point (backswing event vs. impact event) as factors. Results: In the FV, a significant main effect of time point was observed for the bilateral shoulder rotation angle (F1,18 = 7.471, p = 0.014, \u03b72 = 0.293). In the BV, significant main effects at both player level and time point were observed for the pelvic rotation (player level; F1,18 = 8.759, p = 0.008, \u03b72 = 0.327, time point; F1,18 = 13.351, p = 0.002, \u03b72 = 0.426). Also, significant main effects at both player level and time point were observed for racket\u2013forearm angles (player level; F1,18 = 6.752, p = 0.018, \u03b72 = 0.273, time point; F1,18 = 10.213, p = 0.005, \u03b72 = 0.362). However, a significant main effect of the player level was observed for the shoulder\u2013pelvis twist angle (F1,18 = 12.124, p = 0.003, \u03b72 = 0.402). Conclusions: In contrast to FV, BV prioritizes ball control by maintaining the shoulder\u2013pelvis angular relationship without releasing the twist. These results suggest that skill-related differences in volleying are more pronounced in the BV than in the FV.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jfmk11020203","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,22]],"date-time":"2026-05-22T10:07:47Z","timestamp":1779444467000},"page":"203","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Analysis of Upper-Limb Movement Characteristics in Tennis Volleys Based on Skill-Level Differences: Kinematic Features of the Backhand Versus Forehand Volley"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"11","author":[{"given":"Kohei","family":"Katsumi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Master\u2019s Programs of Applied Biology, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Hashikami-cho, Matsugasaki, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8585, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3817-8472","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hitoshi","family":"Koda","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Hashikami-cho, Matsugasaki, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8585, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7669-6719","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Noriyuki","family":"Kida","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Hashikami-cho, Matsugasaki, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8585, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Bollettieri, N. 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