Visual Patterns of U16 Athletes and Professional Basketball Players

Abstract

This work aimed to compare the visual patterns of under 16 (U16) athletes and professional basketball players. The sample was composed of 10 U16 (aged 15.2 ± 0.4 years; 7.1 ± 2.5 years of experience) and 10 professional (aged 27.6 ± 3.7 years; 18.4 ± 4.6 years of experience) basketball players. All athletes were males and right-handed. Each participant performed 50 jump shots from 10 different positions and 5 different angle shots (0°, 45°, 90°, 135° and 180°). Number of fixations, time of first and last fixation, total fixation duration and Quiet Eye (QE) time of all shots were analysed. Overall, results indicated that the U16 group showed greater within-group differences regarding shot positions, last fixation times, shot angles, and first and last fixation times. Additionally, the U16 group presented different visual strategies than those of professional players, with significant differences found for shooting positions and shot angles, particularly for shots performed on the left side of the field, and for QE times. In conclusion, our results add to the understanding that longer fixation times and longer QE time are associated with better jump-shot efficacy, and this relation is evident when comparing players of different age groups.