Research of visual attention in basketball shooting: A systematic review with meta-analysis

Abstract

Visual attention has a significant impact on shooting performance in basketball. Over the past 35 years, researchers have explored individual concepts of visual attention, such as gaze fixation, the number and direction of saccades, and their effects on shooting accuracy. The last gaze fixation, also known as the quiet eye, was found to be particularly important. The aim of this paper was therefore to systematically review the literature to present how visual attention and the quiet eye contribute to shooting performance and how they are affected by anxiety, training, defensive pressure, and fatigue. The 26 articles selected were divided into two categories; the first category included studies that examined visual attention during free throws, and the second category included studies examining jump shots. In addition, we performed a meta-analytic comparison to determine whether the duration of the quiet eye differs with respect to temporal constraints. Results show that for both jump shots with or without defence and free throws, a longer quiet eye durations and a lower number of gaze fixations are associated with better performance. For a successful shot, the quiet eye phase must occur at the right moment, which is likely due to visuomotor reaction latency prior to elbow extension. Furthermore, improvement in shooting performance can be achieved through quiet eye training or traditional training. Nevertheless, individual factors such as quiet eye timing, systematic training, and visual attention in top basketball players of different playing positions need to be further explored as this will provide even more information for individual’s improvement.

Study on eye movement characteristics of basketball players during free throws under different intensities

“…Basketball players have longer durations of quiet eyes when making free throws, and fewer fixations are associated with better performance 19 . Gong Ran et al Gong, et alfound that compared with the general population, basketball players have the ability to predict the future trend of the target, and their flexible eye movement fixation strategy provides strong evidence for the coexistence of visual index and multifocal attention theory 6 .…”

Finger Joint Angle Estimation With Visual Attention for Rehabilitation Support: A Case Study of the Chopsticks Manipulation Test

“…Researchers have discussed the relationship between eye and hand movements. Sports science research [36] found that visual attention can indicate the performance of hands in basketball shooting. Another study compares eye movements with finger and hand movements in a mouse-click activity [37].…”

Young Basketball Players’ Multiple Object Tracking Skills Were Unaffected by Stroop-Induced Mental Fatigue

“…These skills allow the player to evaluate and integrate sensory information accompanied by previous tactical knowledge, resulting in efficient interactions with the environment (Hodges et al, 2021; Williams et al, 2012). Furthermore, visual perception is often the perceptual-cognitive skill on which most sports, including basketball, are central (Sirnik et al, 2022). This coordination skill has been considered a main contributing factor to successful performance in team sports, including basketball (Liu et al, 2020).…”

“…Visual search behavior refers to alternations between fixations and saccades (i.e., eye movements), and it seems essential to overall performance in basketball. The game of basketball demands that players observe hard-to-predict movements by teammates and opponents, and that they identify and track empty spaces, and simultaneously maneuverer into a shooting position to shoot the ball into the basketball hoop (Sirnik et al, 2022; Vaeyens et al, 2007). These requirements make even young basketball athletes good candidates for a laboratory examination of the effects of mental fatigue on multiple object tracking.…”