A Quasi-Experimental Study of the Impact Varying Levels of Extra Practice Have on Specific Skill Development in School-Age Lacrosse Players

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of extra practice on players’ individual skill development based on players receiving extra practice in solo fashion with a coach versus practicing on their own. The researcher hypothesized that the group receiving extra practice with quality instruction would develop their shot speed in the sport of lacrosse at a higher level than participants who practiced extra without support of a coach. This was a quasi-experimental study measuring two different groups with a pretest/posttest design which was used to measure the data. Data did reject the null hypothesis and it was found that the group which worked with a coach receiving quality instruction increased their shot speed at a higher level than the group without coaching. Research should continue as the sample set of data collected was impacted due to COVID-19 limiting access to participants for an extended period of time due to lack of field space for a longitudinal study.