The Relationship Between Mental Fatigue and Shooting Performance Over the Course of a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Basketball Season

ABSTRACT

Daub, BD, McLean, BD, Heishman, AD, Peak, KM, and Coutts, AJ. The relationship between mental fatigue and shooting performance over the course of a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I basketball season. J Strength Cond Res 38(2): 334-341, 2024-The aim of this investigation was to examine the presence of mental fatigue and concurrent changes in shooting performance across various experimental weeks throughout a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) basketball season. Fifteen elite male NCAA Division I collegiate basketball players (age 20.2 ± 1.2 years, height 199.3 ± 7.1 cm, and body mass 93.1 ± 8.6 kg) volunteered for this study. Mental fatigue and basketball shooting performance was evaluated at 4 timepoints with varying seasonal demands: high game volume (GAME), high academic load (ACADEMIC), no games and no academic load (PRACTICE), and standard number of games and academic requirements (TYPICAL). Subjective mental fatigue increased significantly ( p ≤ 0.05) from Pre to Post brief psychomotor vigilance test (PVT-B) measurements at the end of the ACADEMIC week ( p = 0.002, d = 1.51) and from beginning to end of the ACADEMIC week ( p < 0.001, d = 2.21). Ratings of mental effort were significantly increased during the ACADEMIC week ( p < 0.001, d = 1.67). Recovery stress questionnaire (REST-Q) showed significant differences between week GAME and ACADEMIC with an increase in Social Stress ( p = 0.001, d = 0.84), Fatigue ( p = 0.021, d = 1.12), Disturbed Breaks ( p = 0.024, d = 0.57), and Emotional Exhaustion ( p = 0.035, d = 0.75). Lower shooting performance was observed during the ACADEMIC week from Pre to Post ( p = 0.009, d = 0.35) and higher scores Pre to Post in the TYPICAL week ( p = 0.008, d = 0.25). Basketball shooting performance was significantly reduced after increased levels of mental fatigue stemming from added academic stress. In addition, an increase in sport-specific training or games had no effect on subsequent basketball shooting performance. Special consideration should be given by coaches around examination periods because the existence of academic stressors can influence basketball shooting performance.

Impacts of mental fatigue and sport specific film sessions on basketball shooting tasks

PURPOSE

The aim of this investigation was to examine the impact of mental fatigue on basketball specific shooting performance, utilising the newly developed basketball Standardized Shooting Task (SST).

METHODS

Fifteen male elite NCAA Division 1 collegiate basketball players (Age 20.2 ± 1.2 y, height 199.3 ± 7.1 cm, body mass 93.1 ± 8.6 kg) volunteered to participate in a randomised, counterbalanced crossover design undergoing three conditions (Control, Stroop, and Film). The task, performed on three consecutive days, was comprised of 60 free throw attempts followed by a 4-minute spot-to-spot shooting.

RESULTS

Visual Analog Scales revealed significantly higher levels of mental fatigue following the Stroop (54.2 ± 24.5) condition compared to the Control (24.5 ± 16.2) and higher levels of mental effort in the Stroop (61.0 ± 31.3) and Film (49.9 ± 27.7) compared to the Control (14.0 ± 18.5). No significant differences were observed for Motivation among groups (p > 0.05). There was a significant decrease (p = 0.006) in number of shots made in 4-minutes (MAKE4MIN; control = 49.5 ± 10.2, Stroop = 44.0 ± 10.6, and Film = 45.1 ± 11.7) and shots missed in 4-minutes (MISS4MIN; control = 27.3 ± 7.0, Stroop = 30.9 ± 7.1, and Film = 30.9 ± 7.6). No significant differences were detected for any other performance variables.

CONCLUSION

These data demonstrate that mental fatigue negatively impacts basketball shooting performance in elite collegiate basketball players. We suggest that practitioners and coaches encourage athletes to abstain from cognitively demanding tasks prior to basketball competition.