Improving basketball technique at the initial training stage for boys

Abstract

In modern sports, scientists, coaches, and specialists continually seek new training methods across various disciplines while improving existing ones. Basketball is no exception. Purpose: To develop and assess the effectiveness of a methodology for teaching basketball technique to boys aged 8–10 at the initial training stage, with a focus on improving shooting accuracy. Materials and methods. The pedagogical experiment was performed during the 2023–2024 academic year using the sports facilities of a children's and youth sports school in Altay, Russia. A random selection method was used to recruit 24 boys aged 8–10 years who were enrolled in an initial basketball training group. The participants were divided into a control group (CG, n = 12) and an intervention group (IG, n = 12). Both groups followed the training program outlined by the federal standard. In the IG, the second half of the training was performed using a methodology we developed, which incorporated sets of various general physical and specialized exercises. The proposed methodology included exercises from gymnastics, aerobics, step aerobics, outdoor games, and sports activities, all designed to develop basic physical qualities and improve the accuracy of throwing a ball into a hoop. At both the beginning and end of the experiment, motor skills, throwing accuracy, and hand muscle strength were tested. Results: After completing the pedagogical experiment, it was determined that the results of motor skill testing, hand dynamometry, and strength index measurements showed significant improvements. The accuracy of one-armed shoulder throws by the participants from the IG significantly exceeded the values of these indicators in the young athletes from the CG, who followed the conventional methodology. Conclusions: The data obtained from testing the improved methodology for training basketball players at the initial stage of their annual macrocycle can be applied in the training plans of coaches working with 8–10-year-old basketball players in youth sports schools, as well as by physical education teachers in general education institutions.