Where kids aim their attention may change how fast they learn tennis
NCT ID NCT07822035
First seen Sep 16, 2026 · Last updated Sep 17, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
Researchers at Guangzhou University are studying how different ways of directing attention and timing feedback affect tennis skill learning in children aged 9 to 12. About 160 children from four primary schools in Shenzhen, China, take part in a 12-week standardized tennis program with three 90-minute sessions per week. Each school uses one of four attention styles, and children within each school get either immediate or delayed feedback. The study measures changes in forehand, backhand, volley, and serve performance and technique, plus how well skills stick two weeks later.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- attentional focus instructions and feedback timing during tennis training
- What this could lead to
- If certain focus or feedback styles help children learn tennis faster, coaches could use those methods in youth sports programs.
- What could go wrong
- The study measures skill scores in a school setting, so results may not apply to other sports, ages, or coaching styles. It cannot prove one method causes better long-term learning.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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160 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Sep 2024
- Finished
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Jan 2025
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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9 to 12 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Children aged 9 to 12 years and enrolled in Grade 4 or Grade 6. * Have basic proficiency in the four tennis motor skills of forehand, backhand, volley, and serve and are able to participate in regular tennis training. * Right-handed. * In good physical condition, with no serious medical condition that would interfere with participation in tennis training. * Willing to participate in the study, with written informed consent provided by a parent or legal guardian. Exclusion Criteria: * Serious cardiopulmonary disease, musculoskeletal injury, neurological disease, or any other condition that makes participation in moderate-intensity physical activity inappropriate. * A diagnosed psychiatric disorder or cognitive or behavioral condition that substantially interferes with understanding instructional cues or completing study assessments. * Recent acute injury or pain, or medical advice to temporarily refrain from physical activity. * Unable to complete the training, testing, or study data collection procedures according to the study protocol.
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As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Longhua Experimental Primary School
Shenzhen, Guangdong, 510000, China
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Longhua Foreign Language School
Shenzhen, Guangdong, 510000, China
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Minle Primary School
Shenzhen, Guangdong, 510000, China
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Tiandong Primary School
Shenzhen, Guangdong, 510000, China