{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,17]],"date-time":"2026-06-17T11:56:51Z","timestamp":1781697411826,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":53,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,17]],"date-time":"2026-06-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1781654400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Children"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: In interceptive sports like volleyball, the ability to accurately time an action relative to a moving object (Coincidence Anticipation Timing\u2014CAT) is critical. This study investigated the effects of a structured 8-week deliberate practice intervention on CAT accuracy and its long-term retention in young female athletes. Methods: Thirty-two female volleyball players (aged 8\u201310 years) were randomly assigned to an Experimental Group (EG, n = 16) and a Control Group (CG, n = 16). The EG underwent a specialized 8-week training program focusing on progressive cognitive load and immediate knowledge of results, while the CG followed standard volleyball training. A single-blind assessor measured CAT at two velocities (5 mph and 10 mph) using the Bassin Anticipation Timer at three time points: pre-test, post-test, and a 2-month retention test. Results: ANCOVA revealed a significant group-by-time interaction (p &lt; 0.001), with the EG demonstrating a substantial reduction in absolute timing error. The effect size was markedly higher at 10 mph (partial \u03b72 = 0.400) compared to 5 mph (partial \u03b72 = 0.197). Crucially, the EG maintained their performance gains during the retention test (p &lt; 0.05), whereas the CG showed no significant improvement over time. Conclusions: Targeted deliberate practice effectively enhances temporal prediction accuracy in children, likely by facilitating a shift from reactive to predictive motor control. The robust retention of these skills underscores the significant neuroplasticity of the 8\u201310 age window, suggesting that early foundational timing interventions provide long-lasting benefits for athletic development.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/children13060822","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,17]],"date-time":"2026-06-17T10:19:53Z","timestamp":1781691593000},"page":"822","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["The Impact of an 8-Week Deliberate Practice Intervention on Coincidence Anticipation Timing and Long-Term Retention in Youth Female Volleyball Players"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0004-046X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Evangelia","family":"Amprasi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physical Education & Sport Science, Democritus University of Thrace, 69100 Komotini, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7790-5981","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nerantzoula","family":"Koufou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physical Education & Sport Science, Democritus University of Thrace, 69100 Komotini, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-8099-9044","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ioannis","family":"Trigonis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physical Education & Sport Science, Democritus University of Thrace, 69100 Komotini, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1663-0384","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ioannis","family":"Tsartsapakis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physical Education & Sport Science, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 62122 Serres, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6519-805X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Aglaia","family":"Zafeiroudi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physical Education & Sport Science, University of Thessaly, 42100 Trikala, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6359-4470","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Olga","family":"Kouli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physical Education & Sport Science, Democritus University of Thrace, 69100 Komotini, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"17288","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-020-74487-x","article-title":"Decision-Making and Dynamics of Eye Movements in Volleyball Experts","volume":"10","author":"Laflamme","year":"2020","journal-title":"Sci. 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