Reliability and Feasibility of Change of Direction Testing in National Basketball Players

Abstract

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