Error Reduction During Practice: A Novel Method for Learning to Kick Free-Kicks in Soccer Geert Savelsbergh 1,2,3 , Rouwen Cañal-Bruland 1 and John van der Kamp 1,4 1 Research Institute MOVE, Faculty of Human Movement Sciences, VU University Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 9, 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands E-mail: g.j.p.savelsbergh@vu.nl 2 Research Institute for Biomedical Research into Human Movement and Health, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK 3 Academy for Physical Education, University of Professional Education, The Netherlands 4 Institute of Human Performance, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong ABSTRACT We examined whether a protocol that intends to reduce errors during practice results in greater improvements in free-kick performance in soccer than traditional training protocols that aim for low and high practice variability with many errors. Four groups (n = 40) underwent different practice protocols. Reducing errors was achieved by gradually increasing task difficulty during practice. This error reducing practice protocol was administered to the increasing difficulty group. The decreasing and random difficulty groups practiced the same task difficulties, but in decreasing and random orders respectively. The constant difficulty group practiced only the most difficult task. The error reducing practice protocol resulted in a permanent increment in free-kick performance. This increment was approximated after practice of the most difficult task only. Key words: Error Reduction Protocol, Football, Free-Kick Performance, Practice Variability, Soccer INTRODUCTION In many sports, athletes and their coaches frequently adopt training protocols that either strive for low variability of practice, although some aim for high variability of practice instead [1]. For example, a common method to practice the free-kick in soccer is to produce an endless number of kicks from similar distances to the goal, presumably from a location that is most likely to arise during competition. This specificity of practice approach is International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching Volume 7 · Number 1 · 2012 47 Reviewers: Damian Farrow (Victoria University, Australia) Jamie Poolton (University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong)