Customising Table Tennis Coaching for Novice Players with Physical Disabilities: A Case Study

Sport participation is essential for promoting physical health and psychological well-being among individuals with disabilities. A major challenge in para-sport coaching is the wide variability in disability types and severity, which necessitates customised instructional approaches. Using table tennis as a case, this study examined the design and implementation of tailored coaching strategies for individuals with physical disabilities. Four novice participants (two standing and two wheelchair users) completed eight one-to-one training sessions guided by the constraint-led approach, in which individualised plans were created to support skill acquisition through constraints manipulation. Functional reach, table tennis skills, and psychological well-being were assessed through double pre-tests, a post-test, and a retention test four weeks later. Reliable change index (RCI) was calculated and interpreted at 90% confidence threshold. After the intervention, all participants demonstrated some statistically reliable improvements in table tennis skills (forehand/backhand drives) either at post-test, retention test or both. They also reported high satisfaction with the programme and expressed strong motivation to continue playing table tennis. No statistically reliable changes were observed for functional reach or well-being measures. These findings indicate that novice players with diverse physical disabilities may reasonably benefit from carefully adapted one-to-one coaching. Such approach shows some promise for promoting active lifestyles among individuals with disabilities.