Basketball players are frequently confronted with situations that demand the flexible adjustment of their actions to the fast changes of competitive play. Sometimes, these situations require player to execute a particular movement skill with the non-preferred hand. The degree to which a player is able to successfully perform with the non-preferred side reflects his/her level of `bilateral competence` (Magill, 1993, p. 147). For sport games, such as basketball, a players` individual level of bilateral competence might pose a constraint for the advancement to higher levels of competitive play. So far, there is no empirical evidence for this assumption. The present study investigates the possible relationship between the level of competitive play and the rate of non-preferred hand use in basketball. It is hypothesized that the use of the non-preferred hand to execute a variety of skills increases with the professional level of play. Method Using video analysis, we captured ball handling with the preferred and non-preferred hand in 126 male basketball players (mean age = 24.3 years). These players performed at four different levels: (1) international players (n=43), (2) national professionals (n=20), (3) non-professionals (n=43), and (4) junior and recreational athletes (n=20). We classified their ball contacts according to the hand used (preferred vs. non-preferred vs. both) and the executed skill (i.e. dribbling, pass, catch, throw, etc.). The data was analyzed with respect to the rates of ball handling with the preferred and non-preferred hand between the four performance levels. This should provide information about a possible relationship between the rate of non-preferred hand use and performance level. Results and Discussion Results show significant differences with respect to nonpreferred hand use between the four performance levels. More specifically, the rate of non-preferred hand use increase with higher levels of professional play. This correlation proved to be significant (r = -0,496, p<.001). The range of non-dominant hand use spanned from 10,3 % for junior and recreational athletes, over 17,4 % for nonprofessionals, up to 31,2 % for national professionals and 26,1 % for international players. Interestingly, this pattern of result was equally present across the variety skills observed (i.e. dribbling, pass, catch, throw, etc.). The higher rate of non-preferred hand use of players at the international level can be seen as direct evidence for their higher level of bilateral competence. We propose that a players` individual level of bilateral competence poses a constraint for the advancement to higher levels of competitive play. In consequence, practitioners working with young athletes should involve the non-preferred hand systematically in early skill practice to strengthen the athlete`s bilateral competence.
© Copyright 2007 12th Annual Congress of the European College of Sport Science, Jyväskylä, Finland - July 11-14th 2007. All rights reserved.