Age and Sex Differences in Shot Distribution and Accuracy in International 3x3 Basketball Tournaments

Abstract

This study aimed to (a) investigate shot distribution and accuracy in international 3x3 basketball tournaments by classifying shot attempts into three types (two-point, mid-range, and paint shots) and (b) compare them among age and sex categories (senior men, senior women, under-18 men, and under-18 women). Ninety-one games from the FIBA 3x3 World Cup 2019 and the FIBA 3x3 Under-18 World Cup 2019 were analyzed using a notational analysis method. The Mann-Whitney U test with Benjamini-Hochberg correction was used to compare shot attempts and success rates between categories. There were no sex differences in the success rates of two-point and mid-range shots (p<0.05). However, male teams attempted more two-point shots [senior men vs. senior women, p<0.01, r = 0.40 (medium effect size); under-18 men vs. under-18 women, p<0.01, r = 0.21 (small effect size)] and fewer mid-range shots [senior men vs. senior women, p<0.01, r = 0.36 (medium effect size); under-18 men vs. under-18 women, p<0.01, r = 0.34 (medium effect size)] than female teams. Differences between senior and under-18 teams in shot distribution were only observed in men’s tournaments: senior teams attempted more two-point shots [p<0.01, r = 0.25 (small effect size)] and fewer paint shots [p = 0.04, r = 0.19 (small effect size)] than under-18 teams. Male teams were superior to female teams in terms of scoring efficiency. However, the career transition from youth to senior tournaments may be smoother for girls than boys because of the similarity in the shot selection between under-18 and senior games.

Sports Analysis of Wheelchair Basketball Game Statistics

“…On the other hand, after analysing the results in an individual perspective, the total number of throws and two-point throws attempted was not associated with significant differences between the genders. These results are in agreement with previous studies carried out in basketball, where male athletes showed greater efficiency and number of throws taken during competitions [32]. These differences in performance are related to anthropometric, functional and motor differences between male and female teams [33].…”

Improving the tactical preparedness of 3x3 basketball players based on the use of improvisational exercises

“…Their list coincides with the data of methodological recommendations on training 3x3 players [19,20,21]. Later, game situations were used, which required tactical interaction of 2 or 3 players in 3x3; it corresponds to modern trends and the latest publications on game tactics [6,9,24]. Special attention is paid to tactical interactions in the attack in 3x3 basketball, basing on the use of different types of screens, because a number of studies have proved the quantitative advantage of these interactions in the game of the world's leading teams and the feasibility of screens use in 3x3 basketball [25].…”

“…Overall, the implemented developed program had a positive effect on the competitive performance of the experimental group, which demonstrated significant improvement in several key areas. However, this team still has some room for improvement, as their overall performance is still below the world requirements for players of this age [6,7,9,10].…”

“…Paul G Montgomery and Brendan D Maloney [2], Mykola Bezmilov, Wenpeng Cui [3] note that although basketball and 3x3 basketball look similar, there are certain differences in athletes' physiological and psychological abilities. The authors emphasize that for the effective development of 3x3 basketball, it is necessary to study it in depth as a different sport -its game characteristics, requirements for various aspects of players' preparation, etc [4][5][6]. A number of authors emphasize on the existence of differences between 3x3 basketball and its classic version [7][8][9].…”