Proprioception, Physical Performance, and Passing Accuracy in Adolescent Basketball Players

Proprioception is defined as transmitting the sense of the position of our body, interpreting incoming information about posture, and performing the movement to be done consciously or unconsciously. It is critical in controlling and coordinating goal-directed multi-joint movements. It is crucial to learn and perform the sport-specific techniques correctly to increase performance in training and competitions.

Recently, the interest in basketball has increased, and the number of adolescents participating in this sport has increased at the same rate. Passing is the most widely used technical skill after shooting in basketball. A basketball player's performance and a team's success mainly depend on their passing skills. Because passing in basketball is one of the important actions in the game. It has been stated that the error/success ratio of the player on the passing skill is the main distinguishing factor between beginners and experienced players in competitions.

For this reason, the performance and season-long success of the players in basketball depend mainly on their passing skills. The Physical Performance Tests can be used to determine functional performance and evaluate progression in athletic populations. It has become necessary to conduct studies investigating basketball passing to improve training capacity, the performance, and skills of players.

Some studies in the literature investigate the possible relationship between proprioception and sportive success. One of them emphasized the relationship between free throw percentage and shoulder joint position sense. They also stated that proprioceptive exercises (especially above 90° of the shoulder ROM) could be included in the training program to increase the percentage of free throws. On the other hand, one study examined the relationship between basketball players' free-throw performance, elbow, and wrist joint position sense and found a moderate correlation between free-throw success rate and wrist and elbow joint position sense.

The studies on upper extremity proprioception in basketball players mainly focus on examining free-throw performance, and there is no study examining the relationship between proprioception and passing accuracy. In addition, no research has been found exploring the relationship between upper extremity physical performance and proprioception in basketball. Therefore, this study hypothesizes that a player with good elbow proprioception and upper extremity physical performance tests would have high pass accuracy, considering the importance of passing in basketball.

Inclusion criteria

• Those who are between the ages of 13-18
• Those who have licensed active basketball players
• Having verbal and written communication skills in Turkish

Exclusion criteria

• Refusal
• Having had any upper extremity surgery
• Having a diagnosis of any upper extremity musculoskeletal conditions