Free Throw Shooting Effectiveness in Basketball Matches of Men and Women

Transcription

1 Sport Science Review, vol. XX, No. 3-4, August 2011 DOI: /v y Free Throw Shooting Effectiveness in Basketball Matches of Men and Women Pavol ZUZIK1 P oints scored in a basketball match by successful shooting of free throws have a significant share on the total team s score. Free throw shooting in basketball is a specific individual activity of an individual equally important in both men s and women s categories. The aim of the work is to contribute to the knowledge on the successfulness of free throw shooting in men and women in competition basketball matches of the Slovak Basketball Association in various age categories. The main task was to process data in both categories and to compare them mutually. Ex post facto research methodology was used. Methods of documents analysis, percentage of effectiveness and non-parametric Mann-Whitney U- test were employed. The rate of success of free throw shooting was detected and compared separately in men s and women s categories. We mutually compared the rate of success in all age categories. In men s categories the shooting successfulness was slightly oscillating. In women s categories the presumption of a fluent increase in the percentage of free throw shooting successfulness was not confirmed. When comparing the successfulness of men s and women s teams in various age categories, a statistically significant value in favour of women aged years and years, as well as in favour of men aged 18 and older extraleague players was recorded. In future research we propose age differentiation of the observed men and women in adult category, to analyze in details the reasons for the percentage growth or decrease observed, the rate of success of free throwing especially in youth age categories. Keywords: basketball, free throw shooting effectiveness, match, men and women age categories 1 Faculty of Physical Education and Sports, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia 149

2 Free Throw Shooting Effectiveness in Basketball Theoretical analysis of the problem Basketball is a team sport game and in the course of the game there comes to frequent physical contacts among individual attacking and defending players. Contact of players in attacking and defensive actions is permitted and stipulated by means of the rules of the game. Attacker using various repeated ways of shooting attempts at successful throwing of the ball into the basket. Defender tries to prevent the shooter from performing successful throw and thus scoring points for his team, using allowed playing actions. The rate of success of an individual and a team in a match decides on its overall victory (Mačura et al., 2007). The attacking team in order to form a good position for successful shooting makes use of various attacking patterns (Pětivlas Machová, 2006) with the aim to allow the player to carry out a successful and not defended shooting onto the basket. Attacking systems use the whole playing area, which can be divided into a 2-point zone and a 3-point zone. The shooting itself is carried out by a shooter in a permitted way directly straight through the rim, or using a ball deflection from the board (Mačura 2007). Shooting as an individual activity of a shooter is considered by many authors (Argaj, 2005; Katuna, 2008; Mačura Potocký, 2009; Tománek, 2008; Tománek Vencúrik, 2008) the decisive activity of a player during the match. In case that the defensive player infringes the rules when defending the opponent, who is shooting at the basket, the time of the play is interrupted and a free throw shooting follows. From the practice it is known that active to aggressive team defense increases the number of fouls, which results in increasing the number of free throw shots in a match and its importance for winning the match. Free throw shooting has its specific position in a basketball match. Successful realization of free throw shooting can have a significant share in the victory of the team, mainly in tactically demanding ends of close matches. It is one of the factors conditioning the victo-ry in a match (Mačura, 2007). Compared to the types of shooting during the course of the game, free throw shooting is carried out under different match conditions. Free throw shooter gets an advantage and the precondition of successfulness of the shot markedly increases. Player executes shooting in the period of an interrupted game, defenseless, standing in a defined area and within the 5 second time limit. Free throw shooting is ex-ecuted while standing, when the height of jump has no significant role (Mačura, 2007). The position of the shooter is practically stable towards the point of shooting the ball towards the backboard and rim (Liuová Burton, 1999; Gablonsky Lang, 2005). The free throw itself, however, is executed in specific conditions. The amount of objective and subjective factors, such as quality of training process (Horička, 2009), intensity and complexity of training load (Zuzik Mačura, 2010), technique of shooting, psychic stability, 150

3 Sport Science Review, vol. XX, No. 3-4, August 2011 motivation and environment, is decisive. Vaquera et al. (2008) stated that also differentiation of shooting according to players posts (playmakers, wing, and center) is important in basketball. Internal and external factors connected with the execution of free throw shooting were investigated by several authors. The influence of visual acuity was observed by Vickers (1996). The length of preparation for shooting was measured by Mack (2001), stability of the length of preparation for free throw shooting was measured by Wrisberg Pein (1992). Other factors like sex, age, and distance from the rim, shooting in training and in a competition match were investigated by Mačura (2008). It is known by experience that free throw shooting rate of success in a basketball match is conditioned not only by the age (Button et al., 2003; Juhasz Wilson, 1982; Saternová et al., 1989), performance, but also peculiarity of execution of shooting by the shooter (Cooper Hamley,1974; So-uthard Miracle, 1993; Miller, 2007). Successfulness of free throw shooting is generally defined as the share of shot and suc-cessfully accomplished free throw shots. It is expressed in percentages (Zuzik Mačura, 2010). The aim, hypothesis and tasks of the work The aim. Free throw shooting successfulness is considered a very important factor influencing the reaching of victory in a basketball match. The aim of this work is to contribute to the knowledge and comparison of the rate of success in free throw shooting in basketball competition matches in various men s and women s age categories. Hypotheses. Hypothesis No. 1: We assume that free throw shooting successfulness of men and women in competition basketball matches will increase with the growing age of sportsmen. The given precondition is based on developmental changes of the observed male and female basketball players as a result of progressive growth development increasing the physical potential in the area of strength parameters. We come out also of the generally wellknown impact of the long-term cumulative effect in the sport preparation in individual age categories of men and women in the sphere of condition as well as coordination abilities manifested by the improvement of technical performance of free throw shooting. Hypothesis No. 2: We assume that the percentage of the rate of success of free throw shooting in a basketball match of men s age categories will be higher than in the women s age categories. The given assumption is based on the specific character of execution of free throw shooting during a basketball match 151

4 Free Throw Shooting Effectiveness in Basketball manifested by the optimization of the technique of shooting differentiating sexual differences. At the same time we presume higher quantitative and qualitative changes in the sphere of somatic corporeal predispositions of men when compared to women. Tasks of the work. Accomplishment of the aim of the work was conditioned by the fulfilment of the follow-ing tasks: Collecting the primary basic data on the number of free throws executed in official basketball competitions of various age categories of men and women, Evaluating the obtained data with the aim to obtain percentage values of free throw shooting rate of success in the selected men s and women s age categories of Slovak competitions. Comparing the rate of success of free throw shooting in a basketball match in var-ious men s and women s age categories. Methods Research situation. The ex post facto type of research was used. All data characterizing the rate of success of free throw shooting were reduced according to sex, age and performance (1st league and Extraleague men and women). We selected matches and parts of the competitions of the Slovak Basketball Association (SBA) according to the performance level in the 2008/2009 season. We focused our attention at the events and parts of competitions, of which we concluded that would express the parameters of the free throw shooting rate of success of the best teams in the Slovak men s and women s basketball. Characteristics of the experimental group. The observed group was formed by the best teams operating in the official competitions of the Slovak Basketball Association in the 2008/2009 season. Limiting factor of the se-lection of the observed data from men s and women s groups of youth age category was the participation in final tournaments of the Slovak Championship. In the men s age cat-egories Mini 5 to older pupils we evaluated the results from final tournaments of the Slo-vak Championship with the participation of 6 teams. In cadet s category and junior cate-gory, the data from final tournaments of the Slovak Championship with the participation of 4 teams, were evaluated as well as the ones from basic rounds of the long-term compe-tition. In the senior s category of men 1st league, the 1st to 8th place pool (8 teams), extraleague - play off matches (8 teams), in the category of women 1st league the 1st to 4th pool (4 teams) were evaluated along with the results reached in basic rounds of the 152

5 Sport Science Review, vol. XX, No. 3-4, August 2011 long-term competition, extraleague - play off matches (8 teams). We separately observed the rate of success of free throw shooting in competition matches of the selected teams in men s and women s age categories Mini 5 (10-years old), Mini 6 (11-years old), younger pupils (12-years old), older pupils (13-14-years old), cadets (15-16-years old), juniors (17-18-years old), men, women (older than 18 years). When comparing the rate of success of free throw shooting in men and women of the age category of years old we used the method of integrating the age category of female pupils (13-years old) and older female pupils (14-years old). Methods of data mining. The data were obtained using the method of analysis of official written documents of the SBA from match records (mini basketball and pupil s categories), from game statistics (cadets, juniors, men) and by the selection of the necessary basic data on the rate of success of free throw shooting. Methods of processing and evaluating the obtained data. From the primary data on the absolute number of shot and successful free throws we calculated the percentage rate of success of the observed shooting in the given men s and women s age category. Percentage values of the rate of success of free throw shooting and the level of statistic significance were expressed in the form of a graph. In the course of the whole research we also used alternative methods of logic. The ob-tained values of the rate of success of free throw shooting were tested by the non-parametric Mann Whitney U - test. Results and discussion Rate of success of free throw shooting in basketball matches in men s age cat-egories. In basketball matches of men s age categories a fluctuating course of percentage rate of success of free throw shooting was found in the age category of 10 to 14 years (10-years old 49.72%, 11-years old 46.78%, 12-years old 46.31%, years old 46.69%). In cadets and men a continuous growth in the rate of success of free throw shooting was observed (15-16-years old 56.89%, years old 60.62%, 18-years old and older 1st league 63.05%, 18-years old and older extraleague 70.58%). The 15% difference between the rate of success of free throw shooting of juniors and extraleague players (55.6 and 70.9%) points not only to the age, but also performance conditionality of the rate of success of free throw shooting. It is necessary to take into consideration also the fact that in extraleague teams there also play foreign professional players, whose performance level is higher than the one of Slovak extraleague players. The 1st league category is a competi-tion for three groups of players, in which the best 153

6 Free Throw Shooting Effectiveness in Basketball pendulating players from junior teams and extraleague teams play along with the players without ambitions to play the top bas-ketball league of adults and older players. In this sense, the rate of success of free throw shooting in the 1st league competition reflects the average performance level of the non-homogeneous group of its players (fig. 1). percentage p<0,01 80,00 p<0,05 p<0,01 70,00 60,00 50,00 40,00 30,00 20,00 10,00 0,00 shooting 10 years 11 years 12 years years years years 1st league Highest comp. 49,72 46,78 46,31 46,69 56,89 60,62 63,05 70,58 Figure 1. Percentage of free throw shooting in men s age categories in the competitions of the Slovak Basketball Association in the 2008/2009 season Rate of success of free throw shooting in basketball matches of women s age categories. The rate of success of free throw shooting in women s age categories did not reach an expressly growing course. The percentage rate of success of shooting showed an increasing tendency in the category mini (10-years old 45.55% and 11-years old 50.91%). The decreasing level was recorded in the period of transferring from the category mini into the category of younger pupils (11-years old 50.91%, 12-years old 42.91%). In the category of pupils, older pupils and cadets recorded a regular growth in the rate of success of shooting (13-14-years old 52.26%, years old 60.20%). 154

7 Sport Science Review, vol. XX, No. 3-4, August 2011 percentage p<0,01 70,00 p<0,01 p<0,01 60,00 50,00 40,00 30,00 20,00 10,00 0,00 shooting 10 years 11 years 12 years years years years 1st league Highest comp. 45,55 50,91 42,91 52,26 60,20 61,41 64,11 64,93 Figure 2. Percentage rate of success of free throw shooting in women s age categories in the competitions of the Slovak Basketball Association in the 2008/2009 season. The increase in the rate of success of free throw shooting reached an increasing tendency within the age categories of 15 to 18-years old players (15-16-years old 60.20%, years old 61.41%). In women s competitions 1st league and extraleague (18-years old and older 64.11% and 64.93%) we recorded a higher percentage rate of success of free throw shooting (fig. 2). Comparison of the percentage rate of success of free throw shooting in men s and women s age categories in the competitions of the Slovak Basketball Association in the 2008/2009 season. The obtained data on the percentage rate of success of free throw shooting in men s and women s age categories in basketball matches of the Slovak Basketball Association in the 2008/2009 season were mutually compared. We found out that out of the number of 8 competitions in various age categories men reached higher percentage rate of success of free throw shooting in three and women in five categories. 155

8 Free Throw Shooting Effectiveness in Basketball percentage 80,00 70,00 60,00 50,00 40,00 30,00 20,00 p<0,10 10,00 p<0,10 p<0,10 0, years years years 1st league Highest comp. 10 years 11 years 12 years men 49,72 46,78 46,31 46,69 56,89 60,62 63,05 70,58 women 45,55 50,91 42,91 52,26 60,20 61,41 64,11 64,93 Figure 3. Comparison of the percentage rate of success of free throw shooting in men s and women s age categories in the competitions of the Slovak Basketball Association in the 2008/2009 season The percentage difference in the rate of success of free throw shooting in favour of men s comparing to women s age category was in 10-years old (4.17 %), 12-years old (3.4 %) and 18-years old and over in extraleague (5.65 %). In the remaining categories women reached higher percentage rate of success of free throw shooting than men, in the catego-ries of 11-years old (4.13 %), years old (5.57 %), years old (3.31 %), years old (0.79 %), 18-years old and over 1st league (1.06 %). Comparison of the per-centage rate of success of free throw shooting in men s and women s age categories is depicted in fig. 3. Conclusions and recommendations Results have not proved the relevance of the hypothesis that successfulness of free throw shooting in men and women in competition matches will have an increasing tendency with the growing age of players. In men s category successfulness of free throw shooting was fluently increasing started from the category of 10-years old up to the one of 18-and over years old basketballers. 10 to 14 years old players showed an oscillating rate of success. The growth of the rate was found only in the categories of cadets and over. Statistically significant level of the growth of the rate of success of 156

9 Sport Science Review, vol. XX, No. 3-4, August 2011 free throw shooting was recorded in the category of years old (p <0.01), years old (p<0.05) and 18-years old and older extraleague players (p<0.01). In women s category the rate of success of free throw shooting did not show a steady continual growth started from the youth category of 10-years old up to the senior s one (18 an over). 10 to 18-years old players were shooting free throws with a fluctuating rate of success. Growth was recorded in the age categories of 10, 11, years old female players. In the age category of 12 and 17 to 18-years old players was recorded a percentage drop in the rate of success of free throw shooting in matches. Statistically significant level of decrease of the rate of success of free throw shooting was recorded in the category of 12-years old female players (p<0.01). Percentage growth was identically recorded in the categories of 13 and 14-years old, and 15 and 16-years old players (p<0.01). The rate of success of free throw shooting in both men s and women s categories did not reach an unequivocally growing character. Fluctuating development of the rate of success can result in the youth category from the use of basketballs of various size and weight, as well as the fact that in minibasketball age categories (10 and 11-years old) the basketball rim is at the height of 2.60 m from the the playing field according to the recommendations of FIBA. We can assume that accomodation of the size and weight of the ball, as well as the height of the basket so far does not satisfactorily grasp the strength abilities of players in the given age categories so that there comes to a fluent growth of dynamism of the rate of success of free throw shooting in matches. In the next research period we recommend to solve the problem of using various basket-balls and rims in the selected age categories so that a more precise interpretation of the obtained results was possible. In spite of the fact that we come out of indirect indices of the found fluctuating course of the rate of success of free throw shooting in the youth and pre-puberty period, it is necessary to adjust the training and match conditions into such form so that the rate of success of free throw shooting was fluently growing also in these age categories. It also will be necessary to differentiate more precisely the pendulating players among several age categories from the non-pendulating ones, and specify the status of foreign players in statistic data obtained from basketball matches of the Slovak Basketball Association. Results have not proved the assumption that the percentage rate of success of free throw shooting in a basketball match in men s categories will be higher than in women s ones. 157

10 Free Throw Shooting Effectiveness in Basketball The obtained results of the research have not proved the expected influence of sexual differences on the rate of success of free throw shooting in a basketball match of men and women. The presumption of a distinctness of the influence of the long-term cummulative effect in the sport preparation of men and women in the sphere of improvement and optimization of technical mastery of free throw shooting was neither confirmed. Sta-tistically significant level of percentage rate of success of free throw shooting on the level of p<0.10 in favour of women was recorded in the category of years old and years old female players. In men s category we recorded a more successful percentage of free throw shooting on a statistically significant level p<0.10 only in the category of 18-years old and older in the extraleague competition. Out of the 7 age categories registered in the Slovak Basketball Association women reached a better percentage of the rate of success of free throw shooting in four and men in three categories. In the future research we recommend to look for the areas of sportsmen selection, quality of trainers, organization and quality of training process in both men s and women s cate-gories, analyze the distinctness of the management of trainings and coaching the matches in the youth age, suitability and adequacy of using balls of different size and weight, the height of the basketball basket in individual periods of children s and puberty ages. Sepa-rately should be solved sexual differences in various stages of maturing and the influence of sport training in basketball with the aim to create optimum long-term special shooting preparation of players. References Argaj, G. (2005). Analýza tréningového a herného zaťaženia pri vybraných športových hrách. [The analysis of training and match load in selected sport games in Slovak]. In Zborník vedeckých prác Katedry hier FTVŠ UK v Bratislave 3. (pp ). Bratislava, Občianske združenie Športové hry a FTVŠ UK. Button, CH. & MacLeod, M. & Sanders, R. & Coleman, S. (2003). Examining movement variability in the basketball free throw action at different skill levels. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 74(3), Cooper, D. F. & Hamley, E. D. (1974). The basketball free throw. British Journal of physical Education, 5(1), i. Gablonsky, J. M. & Lang, A. S. I. D. (2005). Modeling basketball free throw. SIAM Review (Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics), 47(4),

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12 Free Throw Shooting Effectiveness in Basketball Southard, D. & Miracle, A. (1993). Rhythmycity, ritual, and motor performance: A study of free throw shooting in basketball. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 64(3), Tománek, Ľ. (2008). Technika a nácvik streľby po dvojtakte. [The form and learning of lay up in basketball in Slovak]. Športové hry, 13(1), 2-9. Tománek, Ľ. & Vencúrik, T. (2008). Individualizácia hodnotenia tréningového a zápa-sového zaťaženia v basketbale. [The individualization of evaluation of training and match load in basketball in Slovak]. In Na podporu projektov VEGA. (pp ). Bratislava, Slovenská technická univerzita. Vickers, J. N. (1996). Visual control when aiming at a far target. Journal of Experimental Psy-chology: Human Perception and Performance, 22(2), Wrisberg, C. A. & Pein, R. L. (1992). The preshot interval and free throw shooting accuracy: An exploratory investigation. The Sport Psychology, 6(1), Zuzik, P. & Mačura, P. (2010). Vplyv intensity a zložitosti tréningového zaťaženia na úspešnosť streľby trestných hodov v basketbalovom zápase. [The influence of intensity and complexity of trainig load on percentage of free throws during basketball match in Slovak]. In Zborník vedeckých prác Katedry hier FTVŠ UK, 16. (pp ). Bratislava: Katedra hier FTVŠ UK. Zuzik, P. & Mačura, P. (2010). Úspešnosť streľby trestných hodov v basketbalovom zápase v rôznych mužských vekových kategóriách. [The successfulness of free-throws of different male age categories]. In Zborník vedeckých prác Katedry hier FTVŠ UK v Bratislave 17. (pp ). Bratislava, Peter Mačura PEEM. Pavol ZUZIK has been basketball player and basketball professional coach of youth and adults on the Basketbal Club Internacional Slovnaft Bratislava, Slovakia for more than 30 years. He was the coach of national basketball junior U18 team of Slovakia. From 2010 he has started to be PhD. study and he is giving the lectures about coaching the basketball at Comenius Unieversity, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports. He has written several reserach papers about free-throws in basketball from that time. address: p.zuzik@gmail.com 160