Mid Sweden University

Little is known about the influence of conditioning capacities on shooting performance in basketball. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between different conditioning capacities and shooting performance in professional basketball players. In this investigation, we examined 38 males (all perimeter players; height: 185.5+/-6.73 cm; mass: 78.66+/-10.35 kg). Conditioning capacities were evaluated by tests of muscular-strength, aerobic-endurance, jumping- and throwing-capacities, sprinting-speed, pre-planned-agility, anaerobic-endurance and fatigue-resistance. Shooting performance was evaluated using game statistics, as well as six tests of shooting-performance performed in controlled settings: (i) three tests of static (i.e., non-fatigued) shooting-performance (standardized execution of one- (S1), two- (S2) and three-point shots (S3) in stationary conditions), and (ii) three tests of dynamic (i.e., fatigued) shooting-performance (standardized execution of one- (D1), two- (D2), and three-point shots (D3) in dynamic conditions). All three dynamic shooting tests and the S1 test were significantly (p<0.05) correlated with corresponding game statistics. Multiple regression indicated that conditioning capacities were significantly related to D1 (R2=0.36; p=0.03), D2 (R2=0.44; p=0.03), S3 (R2=0.41; p=0.02) and D3 (R2=0.39; p=0.03) tests. Players with a higher fatigue-resistance achieved better results on D1 test ([beta]=-0.37, p=0.03). Pre-planned-agility ([beta]=-0.33, p=0.04), countermovement jump ([beta]=0.42, p=0.03) and fatigue-resistance ([beta]=-0.37, p=0.02) were significant predictors of D2 performance. The countermovement jump ([beta]=0.39, p=0.04), medicine ball toss ([beta]=0.34, p=0.04) and anaerobic-endurance ([beta]=0.46, p=0.04) predicted the results of D3 performance. Jumping, throwing and anaerobic endurance capacities were good determinants of the skill of dynamic shooting over a long distance. These findings emphasize the importance of explosive power and anaerobic-capacity as determinants of shooting-performance in high-level basketball players.