Effect of an interference task on a ball-hitting skill by 6-to 10-yr-old children

We explored the functionality of interference on a forehand tennis shot among 145 6- to 10-yr.-old children using the retroactive interference procedure. First, the children were asked to execute 10 forehand drives with a small tennis racquet (prime test). They were then asked to execute 10 frontal returns (interference test). The final probe test was similar to the first test, but children executed only 3 forehand drives. Children were assessed using a developmental category for the forehand drive skill. Each developmental step reflected a common sequence of body configurations exhibited by all individuals and was evaluated point-by-point. Multivariate analysis showed that boys had higher ratings of developmental steps of coordination than girls and that the rated developmental step initially increased with age before stabilizing. The developmental steps of coordination decreased after the interference task. We also showed that interference mechanisms are operative for this gross motor skill in childhood, but no interaction was found with age and sex. Port hoc analysis showed that developmental steps were not significantly different after the interference task for the oldest children, suggesting the onset of the inhibitory process.