the purpose of this study was to study the matching of the competitiveness trait and kind of training condition when learning a sport skill (basketball free throw). 60 male university students (age 21.76±1.5 years) participated in this study and were divided into two homogeneous groups based on their pretest scores. as a result, four training groups were used in this study. sport orientation qu...

this study examined the effect of general and specific practice on the presence of a special skill. 24 healthy university students with no history of basketball were selected. after a pretest, they performed constant and variable practice (in constant and variable groups) for 5 weeks and 3 sessions per week. a performance test was conducted at the end of every week and retention and transfer te...

The goal of this study was to analyze whether 9-11 years old children can attain more free-throw accuracy and success by modifying the ball weight in basketball game. The participants were 54 children (age: mean=10.63, SD=0.55 years) from six basketball teams. The participants played four games with each of the following balls: (a) standard ball weight (485 g, 69-71 cm), (b) a lighter ball (440...

The purpose of this study was to determine the optimum release conditions for the free throw in men's basketball. The study used hundreds of thousands of three-dimensional simulations of basketball trajectories. Five release variables were studied: release height, release speed, launch angle, side angle, and back spin. The free throw shooter was assumed to shoot at 70% and to release the ball 2...

the aim of the present study was to find out whether training in a specific visual condition was an advantage in learning the accuracy of skill performance in the basketball free throw shooting. 28 boys (mean age: 17.14+0.75 years) voluntarily participated in the study and practiced in two groups: with normal light (control group), and in a specific visual condition (focusing light on rim of ba...

Recent evidence suggests that massive amounts of practice of the basketball free throw (a "set shot") results in the development of a specific memory representation that is unique to this one shot distance and angle, and that is distinct from set shots taken at locations other than the free throw line. We termed this unique capability an especial skill. In this article, we review the evidence a...

The aim of the present study was to explore the relationship between stress and sport performance in a controlled setting. The experimental protocol used to induce stress in a basketball free throw was the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) and its control condition (Placebo-TSST). Participants (n = 19), novice basketball players but trained sportspersons, were exposed to two counterbalanced condi...