<![CDATA[Purpose: This study investigated the effect of a structured footwork-based training (FBT) programme, systematically integrated into the junior high school physical education (PE) curriculum, on the forehand drive accuracy of adolescent table tennis players. Specifically, the study sought to determine whether an eight-week FBT intervention produced statistically significant improvements in forehand drive accuracy compared with a conventional teaching approach. Materials and Methods: A randomised controlled experimental design with pre-test and post-test measurements was employed. A total of 60 male and female students (aged 13–15 years) enrolled in compulsory PE classes at selected junior high schools in Medan City, North Sumatra, Indonesia, were recruited and randomly assigned to either an experimental group (EG, n = 30) or a control group (CG, n = 30). The EG received an eight-week FBT intervention (three sessions per week, 90 min each), while the CG continued with the standard PE curriculum. Forehand drive accuracy was assessed using the validated Backboard Test for Table Tennis adapted to the Indonesian school context, yielding scores on a 20-point scale. Data normality was confirmed via the Shapiro–Wilk test; between- and within-group differences were evaluated using paired-samples t-tests and independent-samples t-tests, with effect sizes reported as Cohen's d. Results: The EG demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in forehand drive accuracy from pre-test (M = 10.47, SD = 1.82) to post-test (M = 15.93, SD = 1.67), t(29) = 18.43, p < .001, Cohen's d = 3.14, representing a large effect. The CG exhibited a marginal and non-significant gain (pre: M = 10.53, SD = 1.79; post: M = 11.17, SD = 1.88, p = .092). The between-group post-test comparison revealed a significant difference favouring the EG (t(58) = 11.74, p < .001, d = 2.94). The FBT programme accounted for approximately 52% of the variance in post-test accuracy scores. Conclusions: Footwork-based training, when purposefully embedded within the PE curriculum, substantially enhances forehand drive accuracy among junior high school table tennis learners. These findings support the theoretical premise that movement efficiency is a foundational prerequisite for stroke proficiency and provide actionable evidence for PE curriculum designers, school coaches, and sport pedagogists. Future studies should extend the intervention period, incorporate female-stratified analyses, and explore contextual moderators such as prior sport experience and motor proficiency.]]>
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