The effect of situational variables in free throw shooting effectiveness in small-sided games in basketball

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of situational variables on the shooting effectiveness of basketball players during small sided games (SSG). The sample consisted of 24 players from the U-15 and U-17 (15.6 ± 0.4 years and 82.1 ± 9.9 kg, 187.6 ± 8.0 cm) categories belonging to teams that participated in the São Paulo State Championship. Eight SSGs, composed of 4 periods of 4 minutes with 1 minute interval between periods (active recovery), played on an official court (28m x 15m), with 3 players on each team (3 vs. 3) were analyzed. The result of the chi-square test indicated that the shooting effectiveness was associated with the type of ball possession (p <0.001), with the condition of the shooter (with opposition vs. without opposition) (p <0.001) and the distance from the basket (p <0.001). Logistic regression showed that the probability of shooting effectiveness decreases more than 65% (p <0.001) when the shooter has opposition as compared with the without opposition situation. In addition, shoots performed closer to the basket have a greater chance of success in approximately 84% (vs middle shooting distance; p <0.001). The results indicate that shooting effectiveness is influenced by the position of shooter in relation to the opponent and the distance from the basket. Therefore, coaches could suggest players to identify spaces nearby the basket, without opposition, in order to increase the chance of shooting success.