Design and effectiveness of a physical education teaching platform using virtual reality technology and insights from biomechanics

To enhance the effectiveness of physical education and improve students’ learning experiences, this work explores the design of a physical education teaching platform system based on Virtual Reality (VR) technology. First, a VR-supported physical education system is constructed and project-based learning and Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) educational concepts are innovatively integrated into the design of the system’s objectives and teaching content. The system’s functionality and performance are tested across various VR devices. The results indicate that the devices consistently and effectively support the operation of the VR system, providing reliable technical support for physical education activities. Additionally, taking tennis teaching as an example, a comparative experiment was conducted on college students in the experimental group and the control group to assess the impact of the VR system on students' tennis skills and learning attitudes and to explore how VR affects biomechanical performance in physical activities such as tennis. The visual cues of the ball's trajectory and speed can influence a player's anticipatory muscle activation and movement initiation. Through repeated exposure to different ball flight patterns in VR, players can develop more accurate muscle recruitment strategies. The kinematic chain of movements in tennis, from the feet to the torso, arm, and racquet, can be analyzed and optimized with the help of VR. It allows players to visualize and correct any inefficiencies or incorrect biomechanical sequencing. The results show that after the intervention, the experimental group achieves an average score of 91.8 in tennis skills, compared to 83.8 in the control group, with a p-value of < 0.001. In terms of overall learning attitude, the experimental group has a mean score of 4.04, while the control group scores 3.22, with a p-value < 0.001. These findings demonstrate that, compared to traditional teaching methods, VR-based teaching more effectively improves students’ tennis skills and learning attitudes. The results of this work provide theoretical support and practical guidance for the application of VR technology in physical education, contributing to the improvement of teaching quality and effectiveness.