Regional Differences in Women's Basketball: A Comparison among Continental Championships

Explaining Positional Differences of Performance Profiles for the Elite Female Basketball Players

The aim of the present study was to explore the differences in technical performances of players considering playing positions by controlling the effect of situational variables in each FIBA female continental basketball competition. Samples of 9,208 observations from 471 games in the America, Africa, Asia, and Europe Championships during 2013-2017 were collected and analyzed by generalized mixed linear modeling. The results showed that Centers from Europe had more 2-point made (ES = 0.69), 2-point attempted (ES = 0.79), and offensive (ES = 0.64) and defensive (ES = 0.48) rebounds than forward. Asian and European guards performed a fewer number of 2-point made (ES = 0.90; 0.91), 2-point attempted (ES = 1.06; 0.98), and offensive (ES = 1.30; 1.23) and defensive (ES = 0.93; 0.94) rebounds than Asian and European centers. African and Asian forward had more 2-point made (ES = 0.48; 0.50), 2-point attempted (ES = 0.50; 0.56) than guards. This study helps to better understand the technical demands of female basketball among different international competitions, which could pave a new way to analyze the development trend of female basketball and promoting specific training plans and game strategies for coaches and players.

The prevention of injuries among youth basketballers according to the "Sequence of Prevention": a systematic review

Background

Basketball is played by the youth worldwide, and various injuries occur in youth basketball. There is currently no overview of the incidence, the risk factors and preventive measures of musculoskeletal injuries among youth basketball players.

Objective

This systematic review describes the most common injuries among youth basketball players. The most common risk factors and various preventive measures and interventions have also been reported and discussed.

Methods

Search strategies were built based on groups of keywords, namely 'injury', 'youth basketball', and 'cohort'. Search strategies were entered into Medline and SPORTDiscus. Titles, abstracts and full text articles were screened by two researchers. Data from the included articles were extracted by one researcher and checked by another researcher.

Results

Twenty-seven studies showed that the overall injury rate ranged from 2.64 to 3.83 per 1 000 hours of exposure. Ankle-(22%-37%) and knee injuries (5%-41%) were the most common injuries. Risk factors for knee injuries included ankle dorsiflexion with a range less than 36.5 degrees and female athletes with greater hip abduction strength. High variations of postural sway corresponded to occurrences of ankle injuries (p=0.01, OR =1.22; p<0.001, OR =1.22). A core intervention (rate = 4.99/1 000 athlete exposure (AEs)) focused on the trunk and lower extremity led to a reduction in injuries compared to a sham intervention (rate =7.72/1 000 AEs) (p=0.02). Wearing a McDavid Ultralight 195 brace reduced ankle injuries compared to the controls (HR 0.30; 95 % CI 0.17 0.90; p=0.03).

Conclusion

Ankle and knee injuries are the most common injuries among youth basketball players. Poor postural control, reduced ankle dorsiflexion and high hip abduction strength are the main risk factors. A neuromuscular warm-up, in combination with strength and stability exercises, seems to be the best training method to prevent injuries. Ankle injuries can be reduced by wearing a lace-up ankle brace.

The Regional Differences in Game-Play Styles Considering Playing Position in the FIBA Female Continental Basketball Competitions

The aim of this study was to identify regional differences based on playing position in terms of the technical performances among FIBA Female Continental Basketball Championships by controlling the influence of situational variables including the game outcome, game type, teams and opponent quality. The samples comprised of 9208 performance records from 471 games in the America, Africa, Asia and Europe Championships during 2013-2017 and were collected and analyzed by generalized mixed linear modeling. Our study highlighted that, although positional differences were clear among different continental championships, it is worth noting that African guards, forwards, and centers made more turnovers (TOV) compared with the corresponding positional players from other continental championships. In addition, European guards presented the lowest number of steals (STL) compared with African (ES = 0.28), Asian (ES = 0.21), and American guards (ES = 0.24). The results provide coaches to have a better understanding of game-play styles among FIBA Female Continental Basketball Competitions, which could optimize the development of female basketball and the selection and recruitment of female players at the international level.

Basketball Game-Related Statistics that Discriminate among Continental Championships for Under-18 Women

The purposes of this study were (a) to evaluate differences in basketball game-related statistics among continental championships for under-18 (U18) women, and (b) to identify game-related statistics that discriminate among the continents. The analysis was performed on all matches (n = 136) in the four continental championships (Africa, America, Asia, Europe) of 2016. Differences in game-related statistics among the continents were analyzed by an analysis of variance (ANOVA) with effect size statistics. Game-related statistics that discriminate among the continents were assessed by discriminant analysis. The ANOVA yielded significant F-values for 13 of 16 variables and large effect size differences for 10 of 16 variables. The discriminant analysis yielded three significant functions. The Asian championship was discriminated from the other continental championships by ball possessions, defensive rebounds, assists, and fouls. The African championship was discriminated from the European championship by ball possessions, successful 3-point field goals, unsuccessful free throws, and turnovers, and from the American championship by ball possessions, unsuccessful 2-point field goals, successful 3-point field goals, successful free throws, and assists. The results of this study suggest that U18 women's basketball games are played differently in each continent.