Effects of contextual interference (CI) in basic squash shots practice / Ebby Waqqash and Jeffrey Low

The purpose of this study was to compare block and random practice in learning basic squash
shots. Eight university students were randomly assigned to two groups; the block practice group
and the random practice group. The block practice group performed 10 minutes of forehand
stroke, followed by another 10 minutes of backhand stroke. The random practice group played
against themselves in a 1 on 1 real-match situation for 20 minutes. Three tests were administered
to evaluate the participants’ performance: pretest, posttest (acquisition) and retention test.
Results showed the block practice (M=16, SD=.816) has better skill learning effect in the
acquisition phase compared to random practice (M=15.75, SD=2.22). However, the random
practice (M=18.25, SD=2.22) outperformed the block practice (M=10.25, SD=1.26) in the
retention phase. Based on the finding of this study, unstructured and real-match situation
practice facilitates better learning by reconstructing the learners’ action plan each time a skill is
performed.