Journal of Human Kinetics最新文献

Understanding how playing position influences physical, physiological, technical, and tactical demands in basketball is essential for optimizing training. Despite numerous studies examining these demands, there remains a need for a comprehensive review focused specifically on male basketball players. This scoping review aimed to summarize these demands during training sessions and games among male professional and semiprofessional basketball players according to playing positions. Following the PRISMA guidelines and its extensions for scoping reviews, four databases (PubMed, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science) were searched. Studies were included if they featured male professional or semiprofessional basketball players, assessments during training or games, and reported relevant demands. Forty-seven manuscripts were reviewed. Key findings revealed notable differences between positions: (i) (i) guards covered greater distances, performing more accelerations and decelerations compared to forwards and centers; (ii) forwards engaged in more high-speed and high-intensity running; (iii) centers demonstrated higher averages in successful shots and rebounds; and (iv) physiological responses, particularly heart rate, were predominantly higher among centers. In conclusion, this review provides coaches with critical insights into position-specific physical and physiological demands in basketball. Notably, methodological inconsistencies across the studies reviewed were observed. Hence, establishing standardized assessment methodologies and creating a common framework for normalizing physical, physiological, technical, and tactical variables is crucial for enhancing research comparability and practical application.

The reliability and feasibility of a 2-2 shuffle test time against on-court lateral change of direction performance was examined. Ten male national league players performed two trials of the 2-2 shuffle test per direction and were compared against their total steals throughout the season. Intraday reliability of the test was computed using Bland-Altman plots, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and coefficients of variations (CVs). Anthropometric and total steals differences between fast and slow 2-2 shuffle performance were assessed with an independent t-test, percent difference (Diff %), and effect size (ES). The 2-2 shuffle test time for dominant (ICC = 0.86, CV = 8.61%) and non-dominant (ICC = 0.90, CV = 9.30%) directions met pre-determined reliability thresholds (ICC > 0.8, CV < 10%). Faster 2-2 shufflers were significantly shorter (1.91 ± 0.03 vs. 2.02 ± 0.09, Diff % -5.45, p = 0.03, ES = -1.3) in height and accrued more total steals than their slower counterparts (15.60 ± 9.24 vs. 9.00 ± 6.44, Diff % 42.31, p = 0.22, ES = -0.8). Practitioners may add the 2-2 shuffle to their assessment battery as the test time is a reliable metric and can show the direction for on-court lateral performance as reflected by total steals.

This study aimed to examine different force-time derived variables of the countermovement jump (CMJ) in adult, male basketball players of different competitive levels and playing positions. At the beginning of the pre-season, 78 players from two competitive levels (professional and semi-professional) completed a CMJ test on a force plate. Linear mixed models were used to compare a total of 21 metrics across competitive levels and playing positions. Professional players jumped significantly higher (p = 0.022) than semi-professionals. No differences were observed in the variables related to the eccentric phase. Four concentric phase variables (i.e., absolute peak force [p < 0.001], absolute and relative peak power [p < 0.001 and p = 0.037, respectively] and peak velocity [p = 0.036]) were superior in professional in comparison to semi-professional players. Regarding the playing position, centers presented significantly larger deceleration phase duration than guards (p = 0.042). Centers reported higher absolute eccentric peak force than guards (p = 0.013). In the concentric phase, centers reported larger concentric duration than forwards (p = 0.011) and guards (p = 0.002). Guards produced lower absolute peak force compared to centers (p = 0.004) and forwards (p = 0.025). Furthermore, centers were characterized by lower levels of relative peak force (p = 0.013), but higher levels of absolute peak power compared to guards (p = 0.003). In conclusion, jump height, and only four concentric-phase metrics were found to discriminate between competitive levels. Additionally, the eccentric deceleration phase duration, absolute eccentric peak force, concentric duration, absolute and relative peak force and absolute peak power discriminated between playing positions. Practitioners should conduct thorough CMJ analyses and consider these metrics from a performance and talent identification perspective.

This study examined the effects of short-term partial-body cryotherapy (PBC) on athletic performance and sleep quality in Division I collegiate basketball athletes. A crossover, counter-balanced design was employed with twelve collegiate basketball athletes randomly assigned to five days of a post-exercise PBC condition or a control condition. Athletic performance was assessed using six standardized tests from the Korean Basketball League (KBL) Draft combine. Objective and subjective sleep quality were measured using actigraphy and three validated sleep questionnaires, respectively. The number of pull-ups performed significantly increased after the PBC condition (9.2 ± 4.59 vs. 11.9 ± 4.77 reps, p < 0.05), whereas no improvements were observed in other performance measures, including the maximum repetitions of the 75-kg bench press, sprint speed, vertical jump height, and agility. Subjective and objective sleep quality were not enhanced after the PBC condition. These findings suggest that a short-term (5-day) application of PBC has only a limited effect on athletic performance and no effect on sleep quality. Future studies with longer intervention periods are needed to better understand the effects of PBC on athletic performance and sleep quality.

This study aimed to investigate the influence of contextual variables related to team performance, individual performance and scheduling on the external training load placed upon professional basketball players following a won compared to a lost game. Fifteen male professional basketball players from a single club competing in the Australia's top tier National Basketball League (NBL) during the 2023/2024 season participated in this study. Total player load, peak player load, player load per minute and the work to rest ratio derived from accelerometry were measures of external player load used in the analysis. Linear mixed models with the match outcome (win/loss), expected margin vs. outcome, days between games, and player efficiency as fixed effects, and player ID as a random intercept were employed. A statistically significant (p = 0.001) 62.46 au difference in total player load was observed following a win compared to a loss. However, when considering the random effects of an individual, individual performance, team performance and scheduling as fixed effects, a non-significant (p = 0.086) difference was observed with the individual player being the most influential variable. There were no statistically significant differences in peak player load (p = 0.734), player load per minute (p = 0.281), and the work to rest ratio (p = 0.782) following a win compared to a loss. The external training load prescribed to professional basketball players is highly individualized. Practitioners monitoring the training demands of players should consider the influence of individual factors when designing training.

This study aimed to examine the impact of velocity and acceleration-based differential plyometric jump training on physical performance of youth basketball players. Twenty-six trained youth male players (14.5 ± 1.7 years; U14 [n = 14], U16 [n = 5], and U18 [n = 7]) were grouped into experimental and control groups. The experimental group completed two sessions per week of velocity-based differential plyometric training for 14 weeks (3 sets x 5 jumps with 20-s intervals of passive recovery between jumps and 2-min breaks between sets). Before each repetition, participants received verbal instruction to perform a different fluctuation. The control group continued regular training. Bilateral and unilateral countermovement jump (CMJ) height, the 20-m sprint test, and the Modified 505 Agility (M505) test were evaluated before and after the intervention. The training program yielded statistically significant improvements in the experimental group's CMJ bilateral jump height. Additionally, moderate improvements in the CMJ_R (Countermovement Jump Right Leg) and M505_R (Modified 505 Agility Right) tests (BF₁₀ > 3 to 10) were observed after the training program (δ ranged from 0.66 to 1.12). The control group demonstrated moderate improvements in the M505_R (Modified 505 Agility Right) and M505_L (Modified 505 Agility Left) tests (BF₁₀ > 3 to 10) (δ = 0.65). Models combining different variables provided the best fit for the data in different physical variables. The results indicate that velocity and acceleration-based differential plyometric training can be a suitable strategy for improving physical performance of youth basketball players.

The aims of this study were to: 1) assess and compare the performance of lateral shuffles and lower limb jumps among pre-juvenile basketball players; and 2) calculate the asymmetry scores of these assessment methods and examine the association between their performance and existing inter-limb differences. Thirty-nine pre-juvenile basketball athletes (23 boys and 16 girls) performed the countermovement jump, the single leg countermovement jump, the single leg lateral jump, the single leg broad jump, and four shuffle tests (2 distances of 2.5 and 5 m × 2 in each direction) on separate days. Results revealed significant differences between the left and the right shuffle at distances of both 2.5 m (p < 0.05) and 5 m (p < 0.01), with inter-limb asymmetry scores ranging from 3.3 to 5.1%. There was no significant difference between the performance of the left and right legs in each single leg jump test, while the inter-limb asymmetry values ranged from 5.3 to 8.6%. Correlation analysis showed there were no correlations among the inter-limb asymmetry, shuffle asymmetry and performance, while the right single leg countermovement jump performance was significantly correlated with shuffle performance (all p < 0.001). Shuffle performance in different directions exhibited significant differences which were unrelated to inter-limb asymmetry, demonstrating the task-specific nature of asymmetry and natural variability seen in lateral movements of pre-juvenile basketball players. Practitioners are advised to use a diversified approach to assess asymmetry. These findings have implications for injury prevention and performance enhancement.

This study aimed to determine the effects of different defensive styles (i.e., man-to-man vs. zone) and court sizes (full vs. half) on physical [PlayerLoad^TM (PL), total jumps and jumps in low (<20 cm), medium (21-40 cm), and high (>41 cm) bands, the number of and distance covered during accelerations and decelerations divided in high (>2 m∙s^-2) and low intensity (<2 m∙s-2) bands], perceived [rating of perceived exertion (RPE)] and technical (total, scored, missed and % of made shots, rebounds, steals, assists, turnovers, and blocks) demands during basketball small-sided games (SSGs). Ten semi-professional male basketball players (age: 20.4 ± 2.1 years; stature: 189.4 ± 8.1 cm; body mass: 77.4 ± 8.4 kg) from the same basketball team participated in this study. Players were asked to play four 5 vs. 5 SSG typologies in randomized order: 1) half-court man-to-man defense, 2) half-court zone defense, 3) full-court man-to-man defense, and 4) full-court zone defense. No significant interaction (p > 0.05) between two independent variables was observed for physical demands. An effect of court size was found for most of the physical demand measures (except jumps) with higher values (p < 0.05) found in full court SSGs. The defensive style had an effect (p < 0.05, trivial-to-small) on total distance and low-intensity accelerations and decelerations. No effects were evident for the independent variables on the RPE and technical demands. Coaches should design full court SSGs when aiming at increasing players' physical demands. Differently, similar physical, perceived and technical demands should be expected when playing man-to-man or zone defense during SSGs.

There is extensive discourse surrounding the factors influencing performance in change of direction (COD) actions in basketball, given the wide range of tests and methods that exist in the scientific literature for assessing this ability. This study analysed and compared relationships between functional movement, jumping and linear speed performance using two distinct methods of measuring COD performance in female basketball players, while also distinguishing between cut-off angles. Fifty female semi-professional basketball players (age: 23.7 ± 3.81 years, body height: 175.5 ± 7.69 cm; body mass: 64.4 ± 7.88 kg) participated in the assessment, involving various performance and COD tests. COD tests were categorised for each method and angulation into "low performance" and "high performance" groups, facilitating a Bayesian comparative analysis. For the traditional method of measurement (execution time) vertical (ES ≥ 0.66; BF₁₀ ≥ 3.50) and horizontal (ES ≥ 0.97; BF₁₀ ≥ 44.4) variables exhibited significant differences between performance groups across all cutting angles, with faster players performing better in all tests. For the novel approach (COD Deficit) differences between performance groups were only found for horizontal variables, while these differences disappeared for vertical variables. These findings suggest the need for caution when considering the determinants of COD performance, as these relationships are directly dependent on the COD method used. Therefore, female basketball coaches are encouraged to adopt the COD Deficit for assessing this ability, as it isolates COD from other abilities.

This study investigated the influence of offensive play duration on the competitive performance of two NBA teams with the most regular-season victories in the league history. Using observational methodology, differences in the length and speed of offensive actions and their corresponding shooting efficiency were examined. Results revealed significant contrasts in the play tempo, with one team favoring fast, explosive plays (Golden State Warriors) and the other adopting slower, more strategic maneuvers (Chicago Bulls). Despite these differences, both teams maintained comparable shooting success rates. This suggests that the ability to adjust the play tempo according to game circumstances and opponent characteristics is critical for maximizing offensive efficiency. Moreover, the study demonstrates that variability in possession duration is strongly linked to fatigue management and the balance between anaerobic and aerobic energy systems. This finding underscores the importance of tactical flexibility, as adjusting the pace and intensity of play can be a decisive factor in modern basketball success, where shorter, quicker, and more explosive plays are increasingly prevalent. The study concludes that dynamic time-of-possession management and adaptive efforts are key to optimizing high-level competitive performance.