Background: A central objective in sports science is to examine the influence of various variables to optimize training efficacy and develop superior frameworks for skill acquisition and performance enhancement.

Aims: This study investigated the effect of self-controlled vs instructor-controlled demonstration on coordination variability (CV), movement smoothness (MS), and learning of the under-parallel swing skill.

Methods: 29 novice male gymnasts aged 10 to 12 years, were purposefully selected and randomly placed into three groups: self-controlled, yoked, and instructor-controlled. During the acquisition phase, all groups physically performed the under-parallel swing task across 12 blocks of 5 trials (60 trials total). Following each block, participants received a demonstration of the correct movement pattern. The principal distinction among the groups was the timing of the movement pattern demonstration. Following the training blocks, acquisition and retention tests were conducted. A motion capture system was used to evaluate the MS and CV of the movement pattern. The data were analyzed using a Mixed ANOVA test.

Results: The results showed that all training groups, significantly improved their CV, MS, and under-parallel swing skill performance, irrespective of the intervention. Moreover, between-group comparisons demonstrated that the self-controlled group performed significantly better than the other two groups in terms of performance, CV and MS (with the exception of movement smoothness in the retention test) (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: The findings confirm that utilizing a self-controlled practice method yields more favorable outcomes for learning the under-parallel swing skill. Therefore, this method is recommended for athletes and coaches.