Effect of goal difficulty on learning of the volleyball serve

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the goal difficulty level in the learning of the volleyball serve, in both precision and the movement pattern. Ten adolescents (13 to 15 years old) inexperienced participated in this study. The dependents variables were accuracy to target and movement pattern of serve. The experiment was composed of three phases:pretest, acquisition phase, and retention test. The results demonstrated higher effectiveness of difficult goal for improve accuracy to target as well as in the movement pattern in comparison with easy goal. Perhaps, easy goals are not able of provide sufficient motivation for individuals with high competence in compare with difficult goals. This occurs because individuals with high selfefficacy are unlikely to choose or commit toless challenging goals. The current results support the predictions of Locke and Latham in opposite to some studies that investigated the effect of goal difficulty in sports skills learning. The study goes beyond because also assesses the movement pattern of the skill, it that can explain the lack of differences in the previous studies that used sport skills.