Temporal Spacing of Practice and Tennis Serve Retention in Recreational Players

The temporal organization of practice is a key factor in applied motor learning, particularly in recreational sport contexts where training time and recovery opportunities are constrained. This study examined the effects of short-rest versus long-rest practice schedules on the acquisition and retention of the tennis serve in recreational youth players. Twenty-four players (11.8 ± 1.6 years) were randomly assigned to a Short-Rest group (0 s between trials, 10 s between series, consecutive-day sessions) or a Long-Rest group (10 s between trials, 30 s between series, nonconsecutive-day sessions). Both groups completed 12 practice sessions over six weeks. Serve efficacy (percentage of successful serves) and accuracy (radial error) were assessed at pretest, post-test, and retention. Both practice schedules showed similar descriptive improvements in serve efficacy from pretest to post-test, with no significant effects of group, time, or interaction. Although the Short-Rest group exhibited a decline at retention and the Long-Rest group showed more stable performance, these differences were not statistically significant. No between-group differences were found for serve accuracy. A within-group decline from pretest to post-test was observed only in the Long-Rest condition. Overall, when practice volume was controlled, rest distribution did not produce significant differences in acquisition or retention. Descriptive trends suggesting greater stability with longer rest intervals should be interpreted cautiously.