Self-efficacy team perceived of basketball rules modification in young players

Abstract

The opinions and perceptions of the players are important skills for their development in sports. Feeling effective in all the actions of training sessions or competitions is fundamental for the learning process to be adequate and for the game to be a constant challenge to the player. The main purpose of this study was to analyse the self-efficacy perceived by under-13 basketball players in two different competitions. The opinions of 38 under-13 male players were collected at the end of each match about their team performance perception. The players played different competitions over a weekend. On the first day, the tournament was played according to the Spanish Basketball Federation (FEB) rules for under-14 players. The second day was a tournament with modified rules. In this tournament, the height of the basket was lowered to 2.90 m; the 3-point line used in Spanish minibasket competitions was used, a rectangle 4 m from the basket, all the shots taken behind this line were valued 3 points; and all the shots made from the 6.75 meters line were valued 4 points. The questions asked were: (Q1) How do you perceive that your teammates can score free throw shots?; (Q2) How do you perceive that your teammates could make a good pass?; (Q3) How do you perceive that your team is effective in defence rebound? A scale from 0 to 10 was used, with 0 being nothing and 10 more (Bandura, 2005). The results showed that the mean values were lower in the FEB Tournament, with significant differences from those in the MR Tournament. In Q1, the players answered 7.57 on FEB and 8.03 on MR (p=.021); in Q2, the players answered 8.22 on FEB and 8.33 on MR (p=.008); and in Q3, the players answered 8.16 on FEB and 8.23 on MR (p=.018). Players' perception of success in these three variables is always higher in the MR Tournament. The fact that the basket is at a lower height allows players to be closer to the rebound. Also, the possibility of scoring from free throw increases. With the addition of the new three-point line, players without the ball can explore positions closer to the basket, and greater offensive mobility is appreciated. Indeed, it will offer more passing options to the player with the ball. It can be concluded that lower basket height and closest 3-point lines provoke a higher self-efficacy team perception on different technical-tactical actions.