Enhancing free throw basketball shooting ability in female basketball players through imagery and concentration exercises

• Published in: Journal of Physical Education and Sport
• Main Author: Alimuddin; Khairunnisa A.; Dinata W.W.; Rifki M.S.; Komaini A.; Igoresky A.; Liza; Asman A.; Nazri S.B.M.; Wahyudin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Editura Universitatii din Pitesti 2024
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85198653485&doi=10.7752%2fjpes.2024.06161&partnerID=40&md5=055fa6a7148bf18d5991f4d8f39716d4

Problem statement. Free throws represent crucial scoring opportunities in basketball, occuring without opposition following technical violation by the opposing team. Despite their significance, many athletes, particularly female basketball players, struggle to capitalize on these moment. Besides mastering the technical aspects of shooting, the psychological state of the player plays a pivotal role. Succesful free throw shooting can significantly impact a teamn’s succes. This study aimed toasses the impact of 16 sessions of imagery training and concentration exercises on the free throw shooting performance of woments basketball player age 15-18 years. Methods. Participants in the study were divided equally into two homogeneous groups based on pre-test results evaluated based on success rates with the ordinally paired method. The form of the test instrument given is the Steinhofer basketball test. The implementation was carried out with two groups with one group being used as a control group, while the other group was treated in the form of imagery exercises and concentration exercises for 6 weeks with a frequency of meetings 3 times a week for 15-20 minutes each meeting. The imagery exercise provided is in the form of a video showing the implementation of free throw shooting techniques from professional athletes and Yantra training for concentration training. Furthermore, at the end of the week 6 meeting, the participants were again tested to obtain their post-test results. The results of the tests carried out were then processed using statistical data analysis techniques with Lilifors normality tests and t tests with a significant level of a = 0.05. Results. This study investigated whether mental exercise and concentration were able to improve the ability of free throw shots or not. The results revealed that experimental and control group imagery exercises were equally influential. In the experimental group given imagery training increased by more than 6.00 effects compared to the control group that was not given imagery training by 1.75 on free throw shooting ability. Conclusions. Research can demonstrate that, when combined with the appropriate program, the use of visualization and focus training can enhance athletes’ performance in finishing a development. By combining imagery training, concentration training, physical training, and consistent technique training, athletes can significantly improve the ability of female athletes to free throw basketball games. © JPES.