ECSS Paris 2023: CP-AP21
INTRODUCTION: 3×3 basketball is an official competition format governed by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). Its most distinctive features include a dual-track game-ending mechanism where a game lasts 10 minutes or ends when a team reaches 21 points, and a 12-second shot clock, creating a fast-paced environment with frequent offensive-defensive transitions. Under these constraints, male and female players may exhibit different technical and tactical behaviors. This study analyzed ball possessions and performance indicators to assess gender differences and explore how game rules and temporal constraints shape on-court behaviors. METHODS: Data were collected from official box scores of 540 games across the 3x3 World Cups (2019, 2022, 2023, 2025) and Olympic Games (2021, 2024). The sample comprised 404 World Cup matches (204 men’s, 200 women’s) and 136 Olympic matches (68 men’s, 68 women’s). Game-ending rates, defined as the proportion of games concluding by score limit versus time limit, were calculated for each tournament, with independent samples t-tests used to compare these rates across genders. Performance indicators were standardized as rates based on team possessions. A 2 (ending type)× 2 (gender) ANOVA was utilized to analyze the number of possessions (POSS) and rates for field goal attempts (1PA, 2PA, FTA), field goals made (1PM, 2PM, FTM), rebounds (OREB, DREB), turnovers (TO), assists (AS), and drives (DRV). RESULTS: Independent samples t-tests revealed that men's teams concluded games by score limit (76.33%) significantly more frequently than by time limit (23.66%) across the six tournaments (p<.001). In contrast, no significant difference was observed for women’s teams. A two-way ANOVA indicated a significant interaction effect between ending type and gender on POSS (p < .0042). Post-hoc analysis showed that men exhibited significantly higher POSS than women specifically within score-ending games. Regarding overall gender differences, men’s teams recorded significantly higher 2PA%, 2PM%, and DRV%, but significantly lower 1PA% and TO% than women (ps <.0042). In terms of game-ending types, compared to time-ending games, score-ending games demonstrated significantly lower POSS, TO%, and DREB%, but higher 2PM%, 1PM%, FTM%, and AS% (ps<.0042). CONCLUSION: The 21-point format significantly favors men’s teams, characterized by a 76.33% scoring preference. Specifically, men outperform women in scoring efficiency, showing superior 2-point and DRV% metrics alongside a significantly lower TO%. Conversely, women’s teams lean toward a 1-point scoring strategy. Furthermore, score-ending games feature higher offensive precision and lower turnover/rebound rates than time-ending games. Game-Ending Types dictate the game's pace and efficiency, whereas Gender dictates the tactical approach and shot selection. These findings highlight distinct gender-based performance profiles and tactical differences shaped by the game-ending format.
Read CV Yu - Ching LanECSS Paris 2023: CP-AP21
INTRODUCTION: In basketball, the ball handler’s decision-making (DM) has a substantial influence on scoring and winning. Previous studies have suggested that defensive performance may serve as an indicator of the ball handler’s DM quality. However, within a single possession (PO), the ball handler takes more than one action, and the number of these actions seems to relate to game results. Therefore, this study examined team performance in 3×3 basketball by evaluating the ball handler’s cumulative DM performance within each PO. METHODS: 40 games from the FIBA women’s 3×3 U23 World Cup were analyzed. Simi Scout was used to record ball-handler actions, including dribbling, drives, passes, and shots. Defensive outcomes were quantified to evaluate ball-handler DM, with turnover as −1, effective defensive positioning as 0, defensive failure as 1, and opponent fouls as 0.5. Shot outcomes were also recorded. The total number of actions in a PO was used to measure PO length, and POs were further classified as short (1–2), medium (3–4), or long (5–10). The accumulated defensive scores were then divided by PO length to obtain the PO decision score. Inter- and intra-rater reliability of the recorded events were assessed using Cohen’s kappa. Shot rate, goal rate per shot, goal rate per PO, and PO decision score were analyzed using a 2 (win, loss) by 3 (short, medium, long) repeated-measures ANOVA in Jamovi. RESULTS: Cohen’s kappa ranged from .727 to .995. A significant main effect of outcome was observed across all dependent variables, with winners outperforming losers, ps<.001. For PO decision scores, shot rate, and goal rate per PO, PO length was also significant, ps<.01, with short POs showing the lowest performance. Medium POs outperformed long POs for PO decision scores, whereas the shot rate showed the opposite pattern, and the goal rate per PO showed no difference between the two. No interaction effect was observed. CONCLUSION: This study examined how the quality of ball-handler DM influences game performance in 3×3 basketball, using PO as the unit of analysis. The results showed that winning teams achieved significantly higher PO decision scores, shot rates, and goal rates than losing teams, indicating that ball-handler DM is closely related to game outcomes. Regarding PO length, POs of 3–4 actions yielded the highest decision scores and outperformed POs with both fewer and more actions. This finding suggests that effective ball-handler DM facilitates offensive success under a moderate-length-of-action organization. In contrast, poorer decisions tend to result in prematurely terminated short POs. POs with five or more actions had a higher shot rate than those with 3–4 actions, while achieving a comparable goal rate. This may indicate that DM during the final action before the end of a PO influences both shot attempts and scoring outcomes. Future work should examine the composition of ball-handler action sequences and their impact on game performance.
Read CV Chi-Yun ChenECSS Paris 2023: CP-AP21
INTRODUCTION: Performance analysis in youth handball provides objective indicators associated with competitive success and supports evidence-based decision-making in training processes. The objective of this study was to examine differences in match-related statistics between winning and losing teams in youth categories, also considering the influence of competitive level and sex. METHODS: A total of 1,873 matches from the Icelandic U16 and U18 leagues, including both male and female competitions during the 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 seasons, were analyzed. The variables considered included goals scored, goalkeeper saves, two-minute exclusions, and disciplinary sanctions. Basic statistical descriptors (mean and standard deviation) were calculated for each game-related statistic by match outcome (winning and losing teams) and by category and sex. Since normality was not met for any of the analyzed variables, the nonparametric Mann-Whitney U test was applied. RESULTS: The findings showed that winning teams consistently recorded higher values in performance indicators directly related to offensive and defensive effectiveness, particularly goals scored and goalkeeper saves. These differences were observed in the overall sample as well as when analyses were conducted separately by category and sex. In contrast, disciplinary indicators were not clearly associated with match outcomes, suggesting that rule-based sanctions play a limited role in determining the result in developmental categories. Comparisons between age groups revealed that older players demonstrated higher values in most of the analyzed statistics, which may reflect the progressive development of technical and tactical skills as well as increased competitive experience. Furthermore, systematic differences between male and female competitions were identified, with higher values in goals, saves, and sanctioned actions in male matches. CONCLUSION: The conclusions of this study were as follows: the determinants of competitive success in youth handball are comparable to those observed in senior categories, with offensive efficiency and goalkeeper performance emerging as key factors influencing match outcomes. In addition, the results provide practical implications for coaches and sport development practitioners by identifying priority areas for intervention in training programs and in the design of performance-oriented development strategies. This study has been funded by the Icelandic Research Office (RANNÍS – Íþróttasjóður – reference number 233051-2501).
Read CV Jose SaavedraECSS Paris 2023: CP-AP21