Physical-motor indicators and specific skills of young basketball players after periodization training

Abstract

Basketball is a team sport with short, high intensity movement patterns and rapid and frequent changes of direction. Strength, agility and speed, in addition to specific technical skills, are essential for good performance in athletes of this sport. The objective of the study was to verify the effect of a traditional periodization on physical-motor indicators and on specific technical skills in young basketball players. Nineteen young basketball players (15.4 ± 1.3 years), with at least 12 months of training experience, underwent a 5-month periodization. Two physical-motor indicators (countermovement jump (CMJ); and anaerobic capacity (Line Drill)) and two specific technical skills (Dribbling and Shooting) were evaluated at the PRE and POST training moments. To test the effect of training on physical-motor variables and technical skills, the paired Student's t test was used. The 95% confidence interval of the average relative gain (Δ%) for each variable was calculated. The effect size was analyzed using Cohen's d (p≤ 0.05). Significant differences were found between the PRE and POST moments in the CMJ (34.02 vs. 38.64 cm; p <0.001), in the Line-Drill (33.20 vs. 31.73 s; p <0.001), in the Dribbling (6.95 vs. 6.66 s; p <0.001) and in the Shooting (15.84 vs. 17.95 pts; p <0.001). Young school-level basketball players, submitted to a 5-month training period, improve physical-motor indicators and specific skills.

Keywords

• Athletes
• Basketball
• Youth sports