Repeatability of Motion Health Screening Scores Acquired from a Three-Dimensional Markerless Motion Capture System

The purpose of the present study was to examine the repeatability of five algorithm-derived motion health screening scores (i.e., readiness, explosiveness, functionality, quality, and dysfunction) obtained from an innovative three-dimensional markerless motion capture system, composed of eight high-definition cameras recording at 60 fps. Thirteen females and six males performed two sets of three motion capture screenings, separated one week apart (six in total). The screenings consisted of 20 body movements performed in sequential order. Each screening within a testing session was separated by a 30 min rest interval to avoid the possible influence of fatigue. A trained research team member, facing the participant and standing outside of the camera capture range, was present to demonstrate each individual movement. The order in which motions were performed was identical across all participants. Repeated measures analysis of variance and intraclass correlation coefficients were used to examine statistically significant differences and measurement agreement across six testing sessions. The findings of the present study revealed no significant differences in algorithm-based motion health screening scores across multiple testing sessions. Moreover, excellent measurement reliability was found for readiness scores (ICC, 95% CI; 0.957, 0.914–0.980), good-to-excellent for functionality (0.905, 0.821–0.959) and explosiveness scores (0.906, 0.822–0.959), and moderate-to-excellent for dysfunction (0.829, 0.675–0.925) and quality scores (0.808, 0.635–0.915)

Position-specific differences in countermovement vertical jump force-time metrics in professional male basketball players

The countermovement vertical jump (CVJ) is one of the most commonly implemented non-invasive and time-efficient testing modalities for lower-body neuromuscular performance assessment. With more practitioners having access to portable force plates, the purpose of this study was to examine position-specific differences in CVJ force-time metrics within a cohort of elite professional male basketball athletes. Twenty-eight athletes competing in top-tier European basketball leagues volunteered to participate in the present study. Following familiarization with testing procedures and a standardized warm-up protocol, each athlete performed three maximal-effort CVJ on a uni-axial force plate system with hands on the hips during the entire movement. To minimize the possible influence of fatigue, each jump trial was separated by an approximately 15-s rest interval. The mean value across three jumps was used for performance analysis purposes. The findings of the present study reveal notable position-specific differences during the eccentric phase of the CVJ, with centers having greater braking impulse, mean force, and mean power when compared to guards. However, when normalized by body mass, the observed differences during the eccentric phase of the CVJ were nonexistent. On the other hand, no significant differences in absolute mean and peak force and power were detected during the concentric phase of the CVJ. Yet, when normalized by the player’s body mass, centers demonstrated inferior performance than guards for the same force-time metrics. Overall, these findings may help practitioners obtain a better insight into position-specific differences with regards to CVJ force-time characteristics as well as aid with individually tailored training regimen design

Kinetic and Kinematic Characteristics of Proficient and Non-Proficient 2-Point and 3-Point Basketball Shooters

The purpose of this study was to examine kinetic and kinematic characteristics of various types of 2-point and 3-point basketball shooting approaches and determine which variables have the greatest contribution in discriminating proficient (PRO) from non-proficient (N-PRO) shooters. While standing on a force plate, twenty-nine recreationally active males performed a total of 1740 shots by utilizing stationary and step-in shooting approaches. Two high-definition cameras were used to simultaneously capture kinematic parameters of shooting motions. The type of shooting approach showed as a non-influential factor. During the preparatory phase of the shooting motion, PRO 2-point shooters demonstrated higher elbow and basketball height placements, greater flexion in the shoulder and elbow joints while attaining greater release and entry ball angles during the release phase. PRO 3-point shooters demonstrated greater elbow flexion, higher basketball placement, and less hip flexion during the preparatory phase while attaining greater heel, release, and trajectory heights during the release phase. When entered into a full-model discriminant function analysis, elbow angle, elbow height, and release angle variables correctly classified PRO from N-PRO 2-point shooters in 62.1% of cases and hip angle, heel height, and elbow angle variables correctly classified PRO from N-PRO 3-point shooters in 81.6% of cases

The home-court advantage in NCAA Division-I men’s basketball

The purpose of the present study was to examine the differences in game-related statistics between home and away games at the NCAA Division-I level of men’s basketball competition. The data scraping technique was used to obtain publicly available box scores during the 2018-19 competitive season. Throughout this period, 2181 home and 2205 away box scores were randomly selected across 353 teams, regardless of the winning or losing game outcome. The findings of the present study revealed that the game-related statistics influenced by the game location, listed in descending order of magnitude, were: assists (AS), personal fouls (PF), field-goal percentage (FG%), free-throw attempts (FTA), blocks (BL), defensive rebounds (DRB), turnovers (TO), steals (ST), and three-point shooting percentage (3P%). During home games, the teams tended to display better decision-making processes (i.e., more AS and ST, and less TO), defensive performance (i.e., more DRB and BL), shooting efficiency (i.e., greater FT% and 3P%), and minimize tactical errors (i.e., less PF and more FTA). Overall, these findings suggest that playing on a home-court provides a significant advantage in securing the desired game outcome and provides insight into what game-related statistics contribute most to this effect

Impact of Distance and Proficiency on Shooting Kinematics in Professional Male Basketball Players

Shooting efficiency is one of the key performance parameters related to securing the desired game outcome at various levels of basketball competition, and it is largely influenced by the biomechanical adjustments incorporated during the preparatory and release phase of the shooting motion. Thus, the purpose of the present study was twofold: (a) to examine the differences in the kinematic characteristics between free-throw, two-point, and three-point shots, and (b) to examine the differences between shooters with excellent (≥80%) and good (<80%) levels of shooting proficiency. A total of 10 professional male basketball players performed 5 free-throw (4.57 m), two-point (5.18 m), and three-point (6.75 m) shots, combining for a total of 150 shots. A high-definition camera recording at 120 fps was used to capture the shooting motion from a sagittal point of view, and video analysis software was used to analyze the kinematic variables of interest. The findings of the present study reveal that the kinematic characteristics during the preparatory phase of the shooting motion remain unchanged between free-throw and two-point shots. Three-point shots required lower elbow positioning, influenced by greater knee and hip flexion when compared to free-throw and two-point shots. The release angle was notably lower for shots attempted beyond the three-point line but remained unchanged between the free-throw and two-point shooting motions. Release height and vertical displacement were significantly greater for two- and three-point shots when compared to free-throw shots, while no difference was observed between the two- and three-point shots. In addition, no significant differences in shooting kinematics were observed between those participants with excellent and good levels of shooting proficiency

COUNTERMOVEMENT JUMP FORCE-TIME METRICS AND MAXIMAL HORIZONTAL DECELERATION PERFORMANCE IN PROFESSIONAL MALE BASKETBALL PLAYERS

Basketball is a sport that relies heavily on an athlete’s ability to rapidly decelerate in order to change direction, avoid a defender, or create space. Recent literature has proposed novel ways of measuring maximal horizontal deceleration using radar technology. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between different countermovement jump (CMJ) force-time characteristics and metrics related to maximal horizontal deceleration for a sample of professional male basketball players. To gain further insight into performance qualities that influence horizontal deceleration performance, athletes were separated into high- and low-performance groups for all horizontal deceleration metrics, using a median split analysis, and differences in CMJ force-time metrics were investigated between groups. The results revealed no significant correlations between any CMJ force-time metrics and horizontal deceleration performance. However, athletes’ height and body mass were correlated with different deceleration performance measures, such as average deceleration, horizontal deceleration impulse, and time to stop. Higher performing athletes with regards to average horizontal deceleration and horizontal braking impulse relative to body mass generated greater concentric power (effect size (ES) = 1.04, ES = 0.86) and concentric velocities (ES = 1.17, ES = 0.97), as well as greater jump heights (ES = 1.19, ES = 0.99). Reactive Strength Index modified values were also greater in the higher performing group for horizontal braking impulse relative to body mass (ES = 1.06). On the other hand, higher-performing athletes with regard to horizontal braking impulse generated greater eccentric deceleration force (ES = 0.81) and eccentric power values (ES = 0.88) in the CMJ. Findings may be of interest to practitioners physically preparing basketball players for the sport-specific deceleration actions they may encounter

Game statistics that discriminate winning and losing at the NBA level of basketball competition

The purpose of the present study was to examine differences in game-related statistical parameters between National Basketball Association (NBA) regular and post-season competitive periods and to determine which variables have the greatest contribution in discriminating between winning and losing game outcomes. The data scraping technique was used to obtain publicly available NBA game-related statistics over a three-year span (2016–2019). The total number of games examined in the present investigation was 3933 (3690 regular season and 243 post-season games). Despite small to moderate effect sizes, the findings suggest that NBA teams’ style of play (i.e., tactical strategies) changes when transitioning from the regular to post-season competitive period. It becomes more conservative (i.e., fewer field goal attempts, assists, steals, turnovers, and points scored), most likely due to greater defensive pressure. Discriminant function analysis correctly classified winning and losing game outcomes during the regular and post-season competitive periods in 82.8% and 87.2% of cases, respectively. Two key game-related statistics capable of discriminating between winning and losing game outcomes were field goal percentage and defensive rebounding, accounting for 13.6% and 14.2% of the total percentage of explained variance during the regular season and 11.5% and 14.7% during post-season competitive periods. Also, overall shooting efficiency (i.e., free-throw, 2-point, and 3-point combined) accounted for 23–26% of the total percentage of explained variance

DIFFERENCES IN GAME-RELATED STATISTICS BETWEEN WINNING AND LOSING TEAMS IN NCAA DIVISION-II MEN’S BASKETBALL

Knowing how to design training regimens and modify offensive and defensive strategies to accurately resemble on-court competitive demands can help the team secure the winning game outcome. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to examine differences in game-related statistics between winning and losing teams at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division-II level of men’s basketball competition and determine which performance parameters have the greatest impact in differentiating between winning and losing game outcomes. The data scraping technique was used to obtain publicly available box scores during the 2018-19 competitive season. The total number of games examined in the present investigation was 4630. The findings of the present study indicate that winning teams: a) made more field-goal and three-point shots; b) attempted and made more free-throw shots; c) attained superior free-throw, two-point, and three-point shooting efficiency; d) accumulated more assists, steals, blocks, and offensive, defensive, and total rebounds; e) had fewer turnovers and personal fouls. Moreover, field-goal percentage, defensive rebounds, and assists showed to be the top three game-related statistics capable of discriminating winning from losing game outcomes on the NCAA Division-II level of competition, accounting for 17.0%, 12.7%, and 12.6% of the total percentage of the explained variance, respectively

Relationship between Upper and Lower Body Strength and Basketball Shooting Performance

Strength is one of the key physiological performance attributes related to optimal on-court basketball performance. However, there is a lack of scientific literature studying how strength relates to shooting proficiency, as a key basketball skill capable of discriminating winning from losing game outcomes. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between maximal upper and lower body strength and free-throw, two-point, and three-point shooting accuracy. Ten males and seven females performed bench press and back squat one repetition maximum (1RM) and basketball shooting testing during two laboratory visits. The shooting protocol consisted of five sets of 15 free-throw, two-point, and three-point shots performed in sequential order. Each set was separated by a 30 min rest interval to minimize the influence of fatigue. Each subject attempted 225 shots, combining for a total of 3825 shots. The average free-throw, two-point, and three-point shooting accuracy for men were 74.5 ± 11.9, 68.4 ± 9.9, and 53.3 ± 14.9%, and for women 79.2 ± 11.2, 65.5 ± 8.4, and 51.2 ± 15.3%, respectively. The average bench press and back squat 1RM for men was 88.2 ± 18.6 and 117.0 ± 21.2 kg, and for women, 40.6 ± 7.5 and 66.9 ± 9.9 kg, respectively. The findings of the present study revealed no significant relationships between maximal upper and lower body strength and basketball shooting performance for both male and female participants. Neither bench press nor back squat 1RM was a good predictor of free-throw, two-point, and three-point shooting performance

Impact of the Anatomical Accelerometer Placement on Vertical Jump Performance Characteristics

With rapid technological development over recent years, the use of wearable athlete monitoring devices has substantially gained popularity. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to examine the impact of the anatomical placement of an accelerometer on biomechanical characteristics of countermovement vertical jump with and without an arm swing when compared to the force plate as a criterion measure. Seventeen recreationally active individuals (ten males and seven females) volunteered to participate in the present study. Four identical accelerometers sampling at 100 Hz were placed at the following anatomical locations: upper-back (UB), chest (CH), abdomen (AB), and hip (HP). While standing on a uni-axial force plate system sampling at 1000 Hz, each participant completed three non-sequential maximal countermovement vertical jumps with and without an arm swing. All devices recorded the data simultaneously. The following variables of interest were obtained from ground reaction force curves: peak concentric force (PCF), peak landing force (PLF), and vertical jump height (VJH). The findings of the present study reveal that the most appropriate anatomical locations to place the accelerometer device when attempting to estimate PCF, PLF, and VJH during a countermovement vertical jump with no arm swing are CH, AB, and UB, and during a countermovement vertical jump with an arm swing are UB, HP, and UB, respectively. Overall, these findings may help strength and conditioning professionals and sports scientists to select appropriate anatomical locations when using innovative accelerometer technology to monitor vertical jump performance characteristics