Student activity analysis in a badminton tactical task

The benefit of the tactical dimension in racket sport has been demonstrated by numerous scientific studies: at the “contextual” level in badminton (Dieu, 2012), and at the “exploratory” level in table tennis (e.g., Sève et al., 2003). Professionally, official texts (AFC, High School Program, 2019) and specialized literature (e.g., Joing & Jospin, 2013) emphasize the notion of tactical choice. The few studies available on badminton show a predominantly emotional concern as opposed to a tactical one in relation to the dynamics of the match (Guillou & Durny, 2008). There is also evidence of various discrepancies between the teachers’ instructions and the actual activity of students in the game “Banco” (Rossard, Testevuide & Saury, 2005), or in cooperative situations (Guérin et al., 2004; Rossard & Saury, 2009). The aim of this comprehensive study is to analyze the typical activity of non-specialist students in the badminton tactical task “Les maîtres du jeu” (the Game Masters) (Deutz D’Arragon, Mascret & Vors, 2020) according to the “course of action” based research program (Saury et al., 2013; Theureau, 2015). The three participants, all aged eighteen and of varying levels of ability, are non-specialist badminton students, in the first year of their Sciences et Techniques des Activités Physiques et Sportives (STAPS) (Science and technology of physical activities and sports) university diploma. The data was collected at the beginning and at the end of the sequence (lesson 1 and 12) using the data drawn from the observation sheet, the playing area, and the player’s self-confrontation interviews. This comprehensive study aimed to analyze the dynamics of the tactical learning of students during the “Les maîtres du jeu” task through the analysis of their experiences. Tactical learning was identified by analyzing the players’ experiences. The discussion in this article will focus on the uses of tactical learning tasks, and on avenues for professional development.