posted on 2015-09-07, 16:09authored byMARK LYONSMARK LYONS, Yahya Al-Nakeeb, Alan M. Nevill
Despite the acknowledged importance of fatigue on performance in sport, ecologically sound studies
investigating fatigue and its effects on sport-specific skills are surprisingly rare. The aim of this study
was to investigate the effect of moderate and high intensity total body fatigue on passing accuracy in
expert and novice basketball players. Ten novice basketball players (age: 23.30 ± 1.05 yrs) and ten expert
basketball players (age: 22.50 ± 0.41 yrs) volunteered to participate in the study. Both groups performed
the modified AAHPERD Basketball Passing Test under three different testing conditions: rest, moderate
intensity and high intensity total body fatigue. Fatigue intensity was established using a percentage of the
maximal number of squat thrusts performed by the participant in one minute. ANOVA with repeated
measures revealed a significant (F 2,36 = 5.252, p = 0.01) level of fatigue by level of skill interaction. On
examination of the mean scores it is clear that following high intensity total body fatigue there is a
significant detriment in the passing performance of both novice and expert basketball players when
compared to their resting scores. Fundamentally however, the detrimental impact of fatigue on passing
performance is not as steep in the expert players compared to the novice players. The results suggest that
expert or skilled players are better able to cope with both moderate and high intensity fatigue conditions
and maintain a higher level of performance when compared to novice players. The findings of this
research therefore, suggest the need for trainers and conditioning coaches in basketball to include
moderate, but particularly high intensity exercise into their skills sessions. This specific training may
enable players at all levels of the game to better cope with the demands of the game on court and
maintain a higher standard of play.
History
Publication
Journal of Sports and Science Medicine;5, pp. 215-227