Effect of the ball mass on the one-on-one game situation in 9–11 year old boys' basketball

Abstract

Children normally lack the strength and physical characteristics required to use the equipment and rules of adult sports. Studies that utilise a test have shown that changes in the ball mass may improve shot performance and other ball handling skills. The objective of this study was to analyse with which ball participants played a higher number of one-on-one situations in basketball. The participants were 54 nine to eleven-year-old boys from six teams. We established three situations in which the participants played four games with each of the following balls: (a) regulation ball (485 g, 69–71 cm), (b) ball of smaller mass (440 g, 69–71 cm), and (c) ball of greater mass (540 g, 69–71 cm). The procedures that were followed were: (a) defining the variable, the dependent variable was the number of one-on-one situations; (b) instructing the observers and obtaining reliability, reliability was above 0.95; (c) monitoring the properties of the ball and filming the games; and (d) recording (four observers) the data from the observation of the game videos. The results reflected statistically significant differences for the number of one-on-one situations χ ² (2, N=1,858)=44.510, P=0.000, indicating an increase when using the 440 g ball in comparison to the regulation ball, the 540 g ball, and the results of the reviewed studies.

Keywords:

• Children
• game analysis
• mini-basketball
• rule modification
• teaching sport
• team sport