Determinants of drop-out in youth basketball: an interdisciplinary approach

Biological maturation, contextual factors, and future career in basketball: A possible interrelationship?

This study aimed to analyse the relationship between the maturational state and contextual factors with future basketball career success in Under-16 (U16) Portuguese youth preparing for the U16 European Basketball Championships. Eighty-five Under-15 (U15) and U16 male basketball players (height: 189.7 ± 6.53 cm; body mass: 81.1 ± 9.96 kg; the age of peak height velocity: 13.3 ± 0.7 y) were selected by the Portuguese national coaching staff to participate in a national team training camp in 2016, 2017, and 2018 years. A binary logistic regression was employed to identify the influence of maturation, born quartile, demographic, geographic and economic characteristics, and sport career (i.e., drop out during first season and chance of playing professionally). Early maturing players were typically classified as inside players. Training experience and predicted adult height, and type of first club were able to predict players who dropped out during their first season at senior level (both p < 0.01). No variables were able to predict who played in a professional league during their first season at senior level. Practitioners should use these data to consider how national level basketball players are identified and developed, but also keep in mind of their specific contextual factors.

Correlates of early attrition from school sports clubs in male senior high school students: a 2.4-year follow-up study

The correlation between early attrition and school sports clubs has been underexplored. This study aims to clarify the correlates of early attrition from school sports clubs at a private male senior high school in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Of the 928 first-year students, 331 belonging to the school's sports clubs were included in this study. A baseline survey was conducted in May 2017 and a follow-up survey was conducted in October 2019. This study defined early attrition as a student who quit a sports club earlier than April in their third year. Examined correlates for early attrition consisted of biological, intrapersonal, interpersonal, and institutional factors. We used univariate logistic regression analysis, in which early attrition was the response variable and the examined correlates were the explanatory variables, and calculated the odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Overall, 232 students (85.0%) continued to participate in sports clubs after April of their third year, and 41 students (15.0%) experienced early attrition. Statistically significant correlates for early attrition were weight (OR = 0.94, 95% CI = 0.90-0.98), body mass index (OR = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.74-0.97), experience of injury or disability (OR = 0.40, 95% CI = 0.19-0.87), athletic achievement (OR = 0.29, 95% CI = 0.13-0.62), and duration of experience of the sport (OR = 0.99, 95% CI = 0.98-1.00). Our findings suggest that the school officers or family members of students should recognize the possibility of early attrition and provide appropriate support if a student experiences early attrition. The athletic level or norms of school sports club activities may differ among other schools and sports clubs; therefore, it is necessary to examine whether our findings are applicable to other schools and sports clubs.

Does early specialization provide an advantage in physical fitness development in youth basketball?

The present study examined the influence of the specialization onset on the magnitude and patterns of changes in basketball-specific physical fitness within a competitive season and developmental fitness trends between 11 and 17 years in young basketball players. Repeated measures of 181 young basketball players (female, n = 40; male, n = 141) were examined. Anthropometry, age, estimated maturity status, and basketball-specific physical fitness (assessed with the countermovement jump, line drill, and yo-yo intermittent recovery level-1 and fitness score) were considered. Players were grouped by the onset of specialization as related to biological maturation milestones (pre-puberty, mid-puberty, and late-puberty specialization). The within-season and developmental changes in physical fitness were fitted using multilevel modeling in a fully Bayesian framework. The fitness outcomes were similar between-player and within-player changes when grouped by specialization across a season. Fitness improvements across a season were apparent for female players, while male players maintained their performance levels. There was no variation in the patterns of physical fitness development between 11 and 17 years associated with the onset of specialization. Conditional on our data and models, the assumption that early sport specialization provides a physical fitness advantage for future athletic success does not hold.

Psychosocial aspects of sports medicine in pediatric athletes: Current concepts in the 21st century

Behavioral aspects of organized sports activity for pediatric athletes are considered in a world consumed with winning at all costs. In the first part of this treatise, we deal with a number of themes faced by our children in their sports play. These concepts include the lure of sports, sports attrition, the mental health of pediatric athletes (i.e., effects of stress, anxiety, depression, suicide in athletes, ADHD and stimulants, coping with injuries, drug use, and eating disorders), violence in sports (i.e., concepts of the abused athlete including sexual abuse), dealing with supervisors (i.e., coaches, parents), peers, the talented athlete, early sports specialization and sports clubs. In the second part of this discussion, we cover ergolytic agents consumed by young athletes in attempts to win at all costs. Sports doping agents covered include anabolic steroids (anabolic-androgenic steroids or AAS), androstenedione, dehydroepiandrostenedione (DHEA), human growth hormone (hGH; also its human recombinant homologue: rhGH), clenbuterol, creatine, gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB), amphetamines, caffeine and ephedrine. Also considered are blood doping that includes erythropoietin (EPO) and concepts of gene doping. In the last section of this discussion, we look at disabled pediatric athletes that include such concepts as athletes with spinal cord injuries (SCIs), myelomeningocele, cerebral palsy, wheelchair athletes, and amputee athletes; also covered are pediatric athletes with visual impairment, deafness, and those with intellectual disability including Down syndrome. In addition, concepts of autonomic dysreflexia, boosting and atlantoaxial instability are emphasized. We conclude that clinicians and society should protect our precious pediatric athletes who face many challenges in their involvement with organized sports in a world obsessed with winning. There is much we can do to help our young athletes find benefit from sports play while avoiding or blunting negative consequences of organized sport activities.

Predictors of Persistent Participation in Youth Sport: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

There are many factors affecting decisions to persistent participation in sports and various approaches have been used to frame these antecedents. The aim of this paper was to systematically review and quantify the primary factors of persistent participation and to assess their respective strengths of association with persistent participation in youth sport. Adhering to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyzes (PRISMA) guidelines, a comprehensive search was implemented on 31st December 2021 in five databases and meta-analytic procedures were applied to data from studies meeting inclusion criteria. The results revealed that sports enjoyment (meta r = 0.45, 95%CI [0.42, 0.49]) was highly correlated with persistent intention, while persistent intention (SMD = 1.13, 95%CI [0.70, 1.56]) was highly correlated with persistent behavior. In addition, parental support, coach support, peer support, basic psychological needs and sports competence were the primary factors associated with persistent intention and persistent behavior, respectively. This study identified the key factors related to persistent participation and provide a complete understanding of children and adolescents' decisions to continue their participation in organized sports. Referring to the key factors, it can provide information for sports clubs and policy makers to develop strategies to increase youth participation in organized sport.

Relative Age Effects in Basketball: Exploring the Selection into and Successful Transition Out of a National Talent Pathway

Relative age effects (RAEs) appear consistently prevalent throughout the youth basketball literature. However, the selection into and successful transition out of a national talent pathway in basketball is yet to be explored. Thus, the primary aim of this study was to explore the influence of relative age, gender, and playing time based on the selection into the Regional Talent Hubs and Basketball England youth teams (U16, U18, and U20) and the successful transition into the England National Senior Teams. Participants who were selected into the male (n = 450) and female (n = 314) Basketball England Talent Pathway were allocated into one of three cohorts: (a) Regional Talent Hubs (U12 to U15; n = 183), (b) England National Youth Teams (U16, U18, and U20; n = 537), and (c) England National Senior Teams (n = 44). A chi-square test was used to compare the birth quarter (BQ) distributions of each cohort against the expected distributions, with a Cramer’s V (Vc) used to interpret effect sizes. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals were also calculated to compare the likelihood of each BQ being represented. Males revealed significant RAEs across both the Regional Talent Hubs (p < 0.001, Vc > 0.29, OR = 10) and England National Youth Teams (p < 0.001, Vc > 0.17, OR = 3.1). In comparison, females only had significant RAEs in the Regional Talent Hubs (p < 0.001, Vc > 0.29, OR = 2.3). Despite RAEs being prevalent throughout youth levels, there were no significant differences in the BQ distribution based on playing time and those who made the successful transition to the England National Senior Teams. These findings demonstrate the potential mechanisms of RAEs in basketball, as well as the impetus to explore more equitable competition structures within the England Basketball Talent Pathway.

Multidimensional characteristics of young Brazilian volleyball players: A Bayesian multilevel analysis

Brazil has been the benchmark for volleyball performance for at least two decades, providing a unique context to examine expertise development. This study examined the variation in body size, functional capacities, motivation for achievement, competitiveness, and deliberate practice of youth volleyball players associated with differences in biological maturity status, chronological age, and accumulated deliberate volleyball practice, adopting a Bayesian multilevel modeling approach. We considered 68 female and 94 male adolescent players (14.2 years, 90% confidence interval: 12.7 to 16.0). Players were grouped by the onset of deliberate volleyball practice as related to biologic maturation milestones [pre-puberty deliberate practice onset (12% of the sample), mid-puberty deliberate practice onset (51% of the sample), and late-puberty deliberate practice onset (37% of the sample). There was substantial variation in body dimensions and functional performance by gender. There was no variation by gender for motivation for deliberate practice and motivation for achievement and competitiveness. The young volleyball players appeared to be highly motivated and committed to deliberate practice, achievement, and competitiveness. Alignment of chronological age, biological maturation, and accumulated training experience allow more in-depth insights into young volleyball players' development, providing sounder support for coaches´ decisions.

Revisiting the Relative Age Effect From a Multidisciplinary Perspective in Youth Basketball: A Bayesian Analysis

Relative age effect (RAE) is considered to bias the selection of young athletes and a cause of exclusion of many participants. The goal of the study was to unveil the effects of the birth quarter on physical performances and a set of psychological constructs in the age groups corresponding to the specialization years. A set of surveys with cross-sectional data collected from 2015 to 2019 in youth basketball was used. Three hundred and twenty-seven Brazilian players (127 females, 100 males), mean age 14.0 years, participated in the study. Counter-movement jump, line-drill, yoyo intermittent test, achievement goals, motivation for deliberate practice, and enjoyment were measured. Bayesian multilevel regression was performed. RAE was observed but its advantages did not persist and did not differentiate the players in the variables under scrutiny. The only predictor of athletic and psychological outcomes was chronological age. The initial advantage that triggered the coaches' decision to select individual players disappears during the specialization years. Coaches must overcome the superficial observation of young athletes based only on age groups and actual performances, avoiding hasty decisions that, unlike RAE, last in time and cannot be reversed.

Deliberate Practice, Functional Performance and Psychological Characteristics in Young Basketball Players: A Bayesian Multilevel Analysis

BACKGROUND

Early sport specialization has increased its popularity mostly based on the deliberate practice theory premises. In this study, we examined the influence of the age of onset of deliberate basketball practice on body size, functional performance (countermovement jump, line drill and yo-yo intermittent recovery level 1), motivation for achievement and competitiveness, motivation for deliberate practice and sources of enjoyment among young Brazilian basketball players. In addition, we adjusted for the influence of gender, age group, maturity status and state basketball federation on the outcomes.

METHODS

The sample included 120 female and 201 male adolescent basketball players aged 14.0 (1.7) years, on average. We grouped players by the age of onset of deliberate basketball practice as related to biologic maturation milestones (pre-puberty deliberate practice onset, mid-puberty deliberate practice onset and late-puberty deliberate practice onset).

RESULTS

There was no substantial variation among contrasting players by the onset of deliberate practice in all of the outcomes. Adjusting for gender, male players with late-puberty deliberate practice onset had better functional performance than players with pre- and mid-puberty onset of practice. Females players with late-puberty deliberate practice onset had slightly worst functional performance than players with pre- and mid-puberty onset of practice.

CONCLUSIONS

Early deliberate basketball practice does not appear to provide an advantage for the development of physiological functions. Likewise, enjoyment, motivation for deliberate practice and motivation for achievement and competition do not appear to be negatively influenced by early deliberate basketball practice. The debate about the relationship between time spent in deliberate practice and performance development in young athletes will need to emphasize the coaching pedagogical quality and the training environment and account for informal practice and deliberate play.

Relative Age Effect on Youth Female Volleyball Players: A Pilot Study on Its Prevalence and Relationship With Anthropometric and Physiological Characteristics

The relative age effect (RAE) on human performance has been well studied in many sports, especially in soccer; however, little information has been available about the prevalence of RAE in volleyball, and its role on anthropometric and physiological characteristics. The aim of the present study was to examine (a) the prevalence of RAE in selected (i.e., to be considered for the national team) and non-selected youth female volleyball players, and (b) the relationship of birth quarter (BQ) with anthropometric and physiological characteristics. Selected (n = 72, age 13.3 ± 0.7 years, weight 62.0 ± 7.2 kg, height 1.72 ± 0.06 m) and non-selected female volleyball players (n = 53, age 13.9 ± 1.1 years, weight 56.4 ± 7.3 kg, height 1.66 ± 0.06 m) performed a series of anthropometric and physiological tests. Twenty-six selected participants were born in the first quarter of the year, 19 in the second, 14 in the third, and 13 in the forth. The corresponding frequency by BQ in non-selected participants was 12, 12, 17, and 12. No association was observed between the number of participants and their frequency by BQ neither in the selected (χ 2 = 2.79, p = 0.425) nor in the non-selected group (χ 2 = 0.64, p = 0.886). Anthropometric and physiological characteristics did not vary by BQ (p > 0.05). The absence of RAE in female volleyball players and the similarities of anthropometric and physiological characteristics among BQ might be due to technical-tactical character of this sport. These findings would be of great practical value for coaches and fitness trainers working with young volleyball players.