The Impact of Introducing a Lighter and Reduced-diameter Basketball on Shot Performance in Young Female Basketball Players

The study investigated the effects of the introduction of a basketball used by women to the Fédération Internationale de Basketball (FIBA) rules in the 2004/5 season to improve the efficiency and accuracy of basketball shooting. The main purpose was to establish whether the introduction of a reduced-diameter and lighter basketball (size 6) affects the efficacy and number of shots by female basketball players aged 15 and 16 (cadet age category). The sample included 576 European female basketball players who were members of national teams at the cadet Women’s European Championships in 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2007. The players were classified into three subsamples according to their playing positions: guards, forwards and centres. It was found that statistically significant differences by year (tournament) occurred only in terms of the percentage of scored free throws. The percentage was lower in 2005, whereas in 2007 it was higher than in the reference year of 2001. In the same year (tournament), the number of two-point shots taken and the shots scored by the guards increased, whereas in the case of the centres, it decreased. Contrary to the expectations, the results showed that the introduction of a new basketball (size 6) did not cause any important improvement in the shooting efficacy of young female basketball players (free throws being the only exception) and also that the number of three-point shots taken did not increase.