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Daub, BD, McLean, BD, Heishman, AD, Peak, KM, and Coutts, AJ. The relationship between mental fatigue and shooting performance over the course of a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I basketball season. J Strength Cond Res 38(2): 334-341, 2024--The aim of this investigation was to examine the presence of mental fatigue and concurrent changes in shooting performance across various experimental weeks throughout a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) basketball season. Fifteen elite male NCAA Division I collegiate basketball players (age 20.261.2 years, height 199.367.1 cm, and body mass 93.16 8.6 kg) volunteered for this study. Mental fatigue and basketball shooting performance was evaluated at 4 timepoints with varying seasonal demands: high game volume (GAME), high academic load (ACADEMIC), no games and no academic load (PRACTICE), and standard number of games and academic requirements (TYPICAL). Subjective mental fatigue increased significantly (p#0.05) from Pre to Post brief psychomotor vigilance test (PVT-B) measurements at the end of the ACADEMIC week (p 5 0.002, d 5 1.51) and from beginning to end of the ACADEMIC week (p, 0.001, d 5 2.21). Ratings of mental effort were significantly increased during the ACADEMIC week (p, 0.001, d 5 1.67). Recovery stress questionnaire (REST-Q) showed significant differences between week GAME and ACADEMIC with an increase in Social Stress (p 5 0.001, d 5 0.84), Fatigue (p 5 0.021, d 5 1.12), Disturbed Breaks (p 5 0.024, d 5 0.57), and Emotional Exhaustion (p 5 0.035, d 5 0.75). Lower shooting performance was observed during the ACADEMIC week from Pre to Post (p50.009, d50.35) and higher scores Pre to Post in the TYPICAL week (p 5 0.008, d 5 0.25). Basketball shooting performance was significantly reduced after increased levels of mental fatigue stemming from added academic stress. In addition, an increase in sport-specific training or games had no effect on subsequent basketball shooting performance. Special consideration should be given by coaches around examination periods because the existence of academic stressors can influence basketball shooting performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this investigation was to examine the impact of mental fatigue on basketball specific shooting performance, utilising the newly developed basketball Standardized Shooting Task (SST). Fifteen male elite NCAA Division 1 collegiate basketball players (Age 20.2 ± 1.2 y, height 199.3 ± 7.1 cm, body mass 93.1 ± 8.6 kg) volunteered to participate in a randomised, counterbalanced crossover design undergoing three conditions (Control, Stroop, and Film). The task, performed on three consecutive days, was comprised of 60 free throw attempts followed by a 4-minute spot-to-spot shooting. Visual Analog Scales revealed significantly higher levels of mental fatigue following the Stroop (54.2 ± 24.5) condition compared to the Control (24.5 ± 16.2) and higher levels of mental effort in the Stroop (61.0 ± 31.3) and Film (49.9 ± 27.7) compared to the Control (14.0 ± 18.5). No significant differences were observed for Motivation among groups (p > 0.05). There was a significant decrease (p = 0.006) in number of shots made in 4-minutes (MAKE4MIN; control = 49.5 ± 10.2, Stroop = 44.0 ± 10.6, and Film = 45.1 ± 11.7) and shots missed in 4-minutes (MISS4MIN; control = 27.3 ± 7.0, Stroop = 30.9 ± 7.1, and Film = 30.9 ± 7.6). No significant differences were detected for any other performance variables. These data demonstrate that mental fatigue negatively impacts basketball shooting performance in elite collegiate basketball players. We suggest that practitioners and coaches encourage athletes to abstain from cognitively demanding tasks prior to basketball competition. Basketball shooting performance was significantly reduced following acutely increased levels of mental fatigue. This study provides novel preliminary evidence that a sport-specific Film session of 30-minutes in duration (or longer) requires a large amount of mental effort and may also have a detrimental effect on subsequent basketball shooting performance The outcomes of this study suggest that practitioners and coaches should encourage elite collegiate basketball players to abstain from potential cognitively demanding tasks prior to practice and games when shooting performance is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this investigation was to develop a basketball shooting performance test and subsequently assess the tests measurement characteristics and construct validity. The novel standardized shooting task (SST) was comprised of 60 free throw attempts followed by a 4-min spot-to-spot shooting segment (including seven sequential locations either outside the 3-point line or at a 15-foot mark, depending upon player role). After development of the SST, 28 (male = 16, female = 12) NCAA Division I basketball players completed the task on separate days (Part 1; reliability) and then following a standard basketball practice (Part 2; sensitivity). SST performance collected from 13 males was then compared with shots made during live practices and expert ranking's (Part 3; construct validity). Interday reliability (Part 1) measures were: intraclass correlations coefficient = 0.77–0.86; coefficient of variation = 1.9–12.0%. There were no significant differences (p >0.05) between days for any performance variables. From pre- to post-practice (Part 2) repeated measures analyses of variance showed a significant difference (p = 0.03) for shots made in 4-min (MAKE4MIN; pre = 51.6 ± 8.8, post practice = 48.7 ± 9.3), while no significant differences were detected for any other variables. Results from Part 3 indicated large correlations for Shooter Rank versus MAKE4MIN (r = 0.814, p = 0.001) and Shooter Rank versus shooting percentage in live play (r = 0.815, p = 0.001). These data demonstrate the SST poses sufficient reliability and sensitivity to detect meaningful changes in performance, as well as adequate construct validity. Therefore, offering an ecologically valid measurement which can be incorporated to athlete monitoring strategies in elite basketballers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few data exist that assess athlete tracking and monitoring for the development of strategies to optimize performance and reduce fatigue in elite athletes. The purpose of the present study was to assess the efficacy of external load and internal stress monitoring as assessment tools for examining a performance index of fatigue. A retrospective analysis was performed on data collected over the course of the preseason in 10 elite male NCAA Division 1 basketball players. Internal stress was assessed using Omegawave Technology readiness scores and compared with the performance index of countermovement jump (CMJ). The external load that accumulated during the previous practice, quantified by PlayerLoad (PL; Catapult), was compared with CMJ values and Omegawave scores. The results indicated that high, compared to low CNS Omegawave Readiness Scores (6.7 ± 05.1, 4.5 ± 1.2 AU; p < 0.001), were associated with increased CMJ (62.1 ± 6.5 vs. 59.4 ± 6.6 cm; p = 0.05), Power (6,590 ± 526.7 vs. 6,383.5 ± 606.8 W; p = 0.05), Omegawave Overall Readiness (5.8 ± 1.1 vs. 5.0 ± 0.7 AU; p = 0.05), and Omega Potential (Omega) (21.3 ± 6.3 vs. 9.9 ± 20.8 mV; p = 0.07). An increased PL during the previous exposure was associated with decreased CMJ (58.7 ± 4.7 cm vs. 60.4 ± 5.1 cm; p < 0.001) and increased TRIMP (135.1 ± 35.9 vs. 65.6 ± 20.0 AU; p < 0.001), and duration (115.4 ± 27.1 vs. 65.56 ± 20.0 minutes; p = < 0.001) despite no differences in Omegawave CNS Readiness scores. We conclude that Omegawave and Catapult technologies provide independent information related to performance and may be effective tools for monitoring athlete performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limited research has paralleled concomitant changes in external training load (eTL) and countermovement jump (CMJ) performance. Therefore, this investigation characterized eTL and CMJ performance changes across preseason training in Division 1 male collegiate basketball athletes, while examining the influence of position (Guard vs. Forward/Center) and scholarship status (Scholarship = S vs. Walk-on = WO). During 22 practices, eTL was monitored in 14 male athletes, with weekly CMJs performed to quantify neuromuscular performance (Jump Height [JH], Flight Time:Contraction Time [FT:CT], Reactive Strength Index Modified [RSI Mod ]). PlayerLoad per minute was significantly higher during W1 and W2 (5.4 ± 1.3au and 5.3 ± 1.2au, respectively; p < 0.05) compared to subsequent weeks, but no additional differences in eTL parameters across time were observed. Scholarship athletes displayed greater PlayerLoad (S = 777.1 ± 35.6, WO = 530.1 ± 56.20; Inertial Movement Analysis (IMA) IMA&#95;High (S = 70.9 ± 15.2, WO = 41.3 ± 15.2); IMA&#95;Medium (S = 159.9 ± 30.7, WO = 92.7 ± 30.6); and IMA&#95;Low (S = 700.6 ± 105.1, WO = 405 ± 105.0;) (p < 0.05), with no observed differences in eTL by position. Moderate decreases in FT:CT and RSI Mod paralleled increased eTL. Significant increases in practice intensity (W1 and W2) did not impact CMJ performance, suggesting athletes could cope with the prescribed training loads. However, moderate perturbations in FT:CT and RSI Mod paralleled the weeks with intensified training. Cumulatively, scholarship status appears to influence eTL while player position does not., (© Journal of Sports Science and Medicine.)