ECSS Paris 2023: OP-AP28
INTRODUCTION: While professional basketball games have been shown to impose various movements on players such as sprints, jumps, accelerations, decelerations, and changes-of-direction (1), minimal research has quantified the external game demands of players competing in the Australian National Basketball League (NBL), with no research providing such data specific to playing role and position. To address this gap, this study examined the external game demands of professional, male basketball players competing in the Australian NBL, according to playing role and position. METHODS: Twenty-two professional, male basketball players (age: 27.0 ± 3.3 years; height: 196 ± 8.2 cm; body mass: 94.0 ± 13.9 kg) from the same club were monitored over two consecutive competitive seasons (2021–2023) using microsensor technology (ClearSky T6; Catapult Sports). Players were categorised according to playing role (starters vs. bench) and playing position (frontcourt vs. backcourt). Accumulated (total) and relative (per min) external game demands were calculated for PlayerLoad™, Inertial Movement Analysis (IMA) count, jump count, and high-intensity jump count during active playing time. External game demands were compared between playing role and position via linear mixed modelling and effect size (Cohen’s d) analyses. RESULTS: Starters experienced significantly higher accumulated PlayerLoad™ in both backcourt (d = 1.39 (0.90, 1.88, large effect) p <0.01) and frontcourt (d = 1.66 (1.29, 2.04, large effect) p <0.01) positional groups, as well as significantly higher accumulated IMA (d=1.44 (0.95,1.94, large effect) p<0.001, and d=1.53 (1.15,1.90, moderate effect) p<0.001), respectively. Considering playing position, starting frontcourt players performed more total (d=1.15 (0.05,2.23, moderate effect) p>0.05) and high-intensity (d=1.02 (-0.07,2.11, moderate effect) p>0.05) jumps during games compared to backcourt players; however, these differences were not significant. Opposite to accumulated external game demands, there were no significant (p >0.05) differences in relative external game demands between playing roles and positions. CONCLUSION: The current study is the first to quantify the external game demands of professional basketball players competing in the Australian NBL considering playing role and position. These findings demonstrate starters experienced greater accumulated external loads in games likely due to increased playing durations, which may highlight the need for compensatory training plans in bench players. The greater jump requirements for frontcourt players in games emphasise that position-specific training and tactical plans are warranted. In turn, the comparable external demands per minute of play across both playing roles and positions suggests all players may move at similar intensities during games.
Read CV Joshua GuyECSS Paris 2023: OP-AP28
INTRODUCTION: Basketball 3x3 was introduced by FIBA in 2010 [1]. Literature of tactics in this sport is limited, requiring investigations on differences to 5x5 basketball to support practice. The space creation dynamics (SCDs) - a set of offensive game action classes for creating space to score [2] - have been used to analyze basketball tactics and may support 3x3 and 5x5 comparisons. This study compared 3x3 and 5x5 basketball, women and men, analyzing the frequency and type of game actions, respective court zones used, and efficiency. METHODS: Matches of women’s (35 matches; 2118 ball possessions) and men’s (41; 2316) in the 3x3 World Cup – 2023, women’s (8; 1226) and men’s (8; 1218) in the 5x5 World Cup – 2023 were assessed. A single researcher collected the data (Cohens Kappa result: > .90 for all variables). The following SCDs were notated: pick, screen, ball dribbled, ball not dribbled, hand-off, post-up, dime-in, spot-up, without ball and isolation. The court was divided in the zones: top (TOP), top of key (TPK), key (K), wing (W), short wing (SW), corner (C), short corner (SC), high post (HP), low post (LP). Efficiency was analyzed in points per possession (ppp). Bayesian methods were used to estimate the mean frequency of the SCDs per ball possession of each compared group (3x3W, 3x3M, 5x5W, 5x5M). Posterior distributions of means were computed from the Markov chain Monte Carlo draws. Statistical significance was considered when posterior probability of the mean difference exceeding 0 was > 0.90. Chi-square test was used to analyze differences in the use of court zones and respective SCD types (alpha = 0.05). RESULTS: Posterior means of SCDs per ball possession were: 3x3W = 1.85, 3x3M = 1.95, 5x5W = 2.56, and 5x5M = 2.47. 5x5 (W and M) had significantly more SCDs per ball possession than 3x3 (M and W) although it represented less than one SCD per possession. TOP, TPK and W, added, presented proportions between 51% - 63% of all zones used by every group to create space. Significant association was found between zones and groups (p< 0.001): 3x3W - TPK (29.7%); 3x3M: SW (16.3%); 5x5W: K (8.2%); 5x5M: TOP (28.3%). Pick, screen and ball dribbled, added, presented proportions of the total SCDs performed between 57% - 70% for all groups. Significant association was found between groups and SCD types performance (p < 0.001), presented with the respective efficiency (ppp): 3x3W: post-up(12.2%, 0.5 ppp); 3x3M: handoff(17.4%, 0.58); 5x5W: screen(28.2%, 0.6); 5x5M: pick(28.2%, 1.1). CONCLUSION: Basketball 3x3 and 5x5 had different game actions per possession but with minimal practical impact (less than one action). Worth noting, 3x3 possession time (12”) is half of 5x5 (24”). Perimeter was mostly emphasized in both sports besides specific tendencies. Groups’ preferred SCDs had small ppp rates. 1. Andrianova (2022) 2. Lamas et al. (2011)
Read CV Tiago CoutinhoECSS Paris 2023: OP-AP28
INTRODUCTION: Tracking the dynamics of game loads across quarters is crucial for coaches; however, a significant limitation in existing research is the lack of integration between dynamic inter-period changes and positional specificity. While some studies consider player positions, they often fail to account for temporal dynamics across game periods. Conversely, research focusing on inter-period variations typically overlooks the distinction between player positions. Therefore, further investigation to bridge this gap is essential. This study aims to examine between- and within-quarter variations in physical loads during basketball games, exploring their interrelationships and considering the influence of contextual factors on the load profiles experienced by backcourt and frontcourt players. METHODS: A total of 16 professional male basketball players (8 backcourt, 8 frontcourt) from the Chinese National Basketball League were recruited. External load was assessed using Catapult S7 devices, capturing PlayerLoad and Inertial Movement Analysis (IMA) variables. Internal load was measured using the session rating of perceived exertion (sRPE) method. Opponent quality, match outcome, and scoring margin (contextual factors) were incorporated into the analysis. Data were analyzed using linear mixed-effects models and repeated-measures correlation analyses. RESULTS: Frontcourt players exhibited more pronounced fluctuations in sRPE (F=3.378; p < 0.05) and IMA changes of direction (COD) left (F=4.409; p < 0.01) from the first quarter to the fourth quarter. In contrast, backcourt players demonstrated more stable between-quarter changes but showed larger within-quarter load variations, including higher IMA jump medium in the first three quarters (p < 0.01), and greater IMA accelerations (ACC) (p < 0.05) and decelerations (DEC) (p < 0.01) in the second and fourth quarters compared to frontcourt players. Medium to large (r = 0.41–0.62) correlations were observed between sRPE and PlayerLoad as well as total jumps across quarters for backcourt players. For frontcourt players, sRPE showed medium to large correlations (r = 0.45–0.72) with PlayerLoad, IMA COD, and IMA high jumps across quarters. Backcourt players reported higher sRPE during winning games compared to losing games (ES = 0.34; p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The study reveals distinct game load patterns for backcourt and frontcourt basketball players, with frontcourt players experiencing greater physical and perceptual fluctuations across the game, while backcourt players exhibit more consistent between-quarter loads but larger within-quarter variations. The higher sRPE reported by backcourt players during winning games suggests the influence of contextual factors on perceptual measures. These findings underscore the importance of position-specific training strategies that optimally prepare backcourt and frontcourt players for the specific game loads.
Read CV Shaoliang ZhangECSS Paris 2023: OP-AP28