Impact of varied training on decision-making stability among college basketball players in conditions of game uncertainty
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15391/si.2026-3.07Keywords:
basketball, student basketball players, variable training, decision-making, game uncertainty, tactical thinking, cognitive trainingAbstract
Purpose. To determine the influence of variable training on the stability of decision-making in student basketball players under conditions of game uncertainty.
Material and methods. The study involved 12 male basketball players aged 18–23 years from the basketball team of the Kyiv National Economic University named after Vadym Hetman. The athletes had qualifications ranging from the First Sports Category to Candidate for Master of Sports of Ukraine. The study was conducted during the preparatory and competitive periods and included ascertaining, formative, and control stages. The following methods were used: pedagogical observation, analysis of competitive activity, video analysis of game episodes, expert assessment, situational exercises with simulated game uncertainty, and methods of mathematical statistics. The variable training program included modifications of spatial-temporal exercise conditions, time-limited decision-making tasks, numerical superiority and inferiority situations, cognitive-motor tasks, and simulation of stressful game situations.
Results. At the initial stage of the study, student basketball players demonstrated an insufficient level of decision-making stability, characterized by slower analysis of game situations, a high number of erroneous decisions, and low effectiveness under time pressure. After implementation of the variable training program, statistically significant improvements were found in all studied indicators (p<0.05). Decision-making time decreased from 2.41±0.27 s to 1.93±0.21 s, tactical action accuracy increased from 68.4±5.8% to 81.7±4.9%, and the number of erroneous decisions decreased from 6.8±1.4 to 4.1±1.1. The effectiveness of actions under time deficit increased from 61.3±6.2% to 78.5±5.4%. The greatest improvement in tactical decision-making effectiveness was observed in exercises related to numerical inferiority and fast-break situations. Expert assessment confirmed improvements in the speed of game situation analysis, rationality of tactical decisions, attention switching, and stability of actions under stressful conditions.
Conclusions. The results of the study confirmed the effectiveness of variable training for improving the cognitive-tactical preparedness of student basketball players. Systematic use of variable game exercises contributes to the development of tactical thinking speed, adaptability, resistance to psycho-emotional stress, and stability of decision-making in modern basketball competitive activity.
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