Basketball shooting is one of the most important offensive skills in basketball. Winning or losing a game mostly depends on the shooting effectiveness. The study aims to compare the selected kinematic variables of 2-point (2-pt) and 3-point (3-pt) jump shots (after making a cut and receiving the ball) and ascertain the differences between elite male under 16 and 18 (U16M, U18M) and female under 16 and 18 (U16F, U18F) basketball players. Overall, forty-eight young male and female basketball players participated in the study. 3D motion analysis using an inertial suit with the addition of utilizing a smart ball was performed for assessing the 2-pt and 3-pt shooting techniques. Players in male categories shot for 2-pt with a higher center of mass difference in the vertical direction (U16M 5.7 cm, U18M 3.9 cm vs. U16F 1.4 cm, U18F 0.6 cm), with higher release shoulder angle (U16M 110.9, U18M 113.8 vs. U16F 103, U18F 105), and with a higher entry angle of the ball (U16M 34, U18M 32 vs. U16F 30, U18F 30) when compared to female categories (p < 0.001). In the 3-pt shooting, there were differences between male and female categories in the shoulder angle when releasing the ball (p < 0.001). In the players shooting speed, there were differences between U16M vs. U18F (0.95 ± 0.1 vs. 0.88 ± 0.1; p = 0.03) and U16F vs. U18F (0.96 ± 0.06 vs. 0.88 ± 0.1; p = 0.02) players. Male categories shot 3-pt shots with a smaller center of mass difference in the horizontal direction when compared to 2-pt shots (p < 0.001). The entry angle was higher in successful shooting attempts compared to unsuccessful shooting attempts when shooting for 3-pt (p = 0.02). Player shooting speed was higher in all categories (except U18F) when shooting for 3-pt (p < 0.001). It appears that performers show difference in kinematic variables based on distance from the basket. Basketball coaches and players should work to minimize the kinematic differences between 2-pt and 3-pt shooting and to optimize the shooting technique.

Basketball dribbling is one of the key elements in basketball game. There is a lack of studies investigating the effect of fatigue on kinematics and kinetics in basketball dribbling. There are two primary aims of this study: (1) to explore the effect of fatigue on kinematics and kinetics in dribbling with the change of directions; (2) to determine the effect of fatigue on dribbling speed. Fourteen Croatian senior male basketball players, not power forwards or centers (age: 21.16±3.43 years; body height: 188.81±6.88 cm; body mass: 87.81±6.06 kg; body fat: 13.34±3.52%) participated in the study. Each player performed two types of change of direction (COD) while dribbling: front COD and spin move in the non-fatigued and then in the fatigued state. Xsens suit and Novel insoles were used to measure the kinematic and kinetic parameters. In terms of the front COD, the results of this study demonstrated that the maximum angular velocity in the knee (p=.028) and wrist joint (p=.007) as well as maximum force (p=.004) significantly decreased in the fatigued state. In terms of the spin move, the results showed that there were significant differences in pelvis velocity (p=.000), the maximum angular velocity in the knee joint (p=.020), and the first step velocity (p=0.010) between the fatigued and non-fatigued states. No significant difference was found in the pelvis position, minimum angle in the knee joint and maximum force. Importantly, dribbling speed significantly decreased in the fatigued state (p=.002). The findings of this study suggest that coaching staff should design appropriate training programs to optimize players’ ability to resist fatigue when dribbling under real game speed conditions.

Kinematic analysis is an objective method for examining basketball technique. However, there are just a few studies featuring a kinematic analysis of passing. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the kinematic parameters and accuracy of passing changed when players were under the influence of fatigue. Eleven Croatian basketball players who are members of the youth national program (age: 18.36 ± 0.67 years; height: 192.32 ± 9.98 cm; weight: 83.35 ± 11.19 kg; body fat: 15.00 ± 4.40%, arm span: 194.34 ± 10.39 cm) participated in fatigue and non-fatigue repetitive tests. A Xsens suit was used to analyze the kinematic parameters of push passing; a radar gun was used to determine ball speed; heart rate and blood lactate were used to identify fatigue and non-fatigue state. There was a significant difference in angular velocities of shoulder (p = 0.01), elbow (p = 0.04), and wrist (p = 0.01), accuracy (p = 0.01), ball speed (p = 0.00), pelvis position (p = 0.00), and velocity of the pelvis in X-axis (p = 0.00) between fatigue and non-fatigue state. Fatigue influences some kinematic parameters and accuracy of passing. The findings of this study suggest that coaches conduct as many drills as possible in situational conditions that are similar to the conditions during the basketball game itself.

Defining the differences between the dominant (D) and non-dominant (ND) leg is one of the ways to determine the asymmetry between the extremities and thus the risk of injury. The aim of this research is to determine the differences in specific unilateral tests in young male and female basketball players. The sample consisted of 17 female basketball players (average height 177.96 ± 6.38 cm; average weight 69.53 ± 8.00 kg and age 15.50 ± 0.96 yr.) and 34 male basketball players (average height 194.29 ± 7.52 cm; average weight 83.66 ± 9.66 kg and age 15.40 ± 1.28 yr.) of the cadet and junior national teams. Tests were used to assess the explosive power of the lower extremities: high jump with D and ND leg take-off with arm swing (S_vis_jedn_L; S_vis_jedn_D), basketball two-step with D and ND leg take-off (Dvokorak_L, Dvokorak_D) and Drift protocol consisting of 5 consecutive unilateral jumps in place (Drift_L, Drift_D). The tests S_vis_jedn (p = 0.02) and Dvokorak (p = 0.03) showed statistically significant differences with an error of p˂0.05 in the group of male basketball players. Significant differences were found in female basketball players in the test S_vis_jedn (p = 0.03). In other tests, there are no significant differences between jumps with D and ND leg take-off. The presented results indicate differences between the extremities and represent the basis for the correction of the training plan and program. The methodology in this paper is simple to implement and analyse and is

Three-point shooting plays an important role in determining the outcomes of basketball games and could be relevant for player selection. However, there has been little research into the relationship between basketball players’ physical capacities, metabolic capacities, and three-point shooting accuracy, particularly among female players. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between physical capacities, metabolic capacities, and dynamic three-point shooting accuracy in female professional basketball players. Twelve female professional basketball players from the Women’s Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA) league (age: 19.04 ± 1.31 years, height: 181.33 ± 4.90 cm, playing experience: 7.83 ± 1.7 years) were recruited for this study. Pearson correlations and multiple linear regression analysis were run to assess the relationship between physical capacities, metabolic capacities, and dynamic three-point shooting. Results showed that coordination, balance, core strength, and relative average power were positively correlated with three-point shooting accuracy (r > 0.58, p < 0.05), while no other variables showed significant correlations. The current study suggests that coaching staff should consider coordination, balance, core strength, and anaerobic capacities when selecting players as well as in their training periodization if three-point shooting accuracy is considered relevant.