Associate Professor Yu.O. Averyasova¹
Dr.Hab., Professor S.I. Filimonova¹
Dr.Hab., Professor L.B. Andryushchenko¹
O.N. Andryushchenko^2
1Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Moscow
²Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, Moscow

Keywords: basketball, fitness, competitive performance, innovative athletic performance test and rating technologies.

Background. The global elite men’s basketball is increasingly competitive, with the team performances and standings in the international top-ranking events including World Championships, European Championships and Olympic Games being very close and hardly predictable. However, the competitive performance of the Russia national team in the last Olympic cycle was rather unstable as verified by its 23/ 17 team standings in the 2013/ 2015 European Championships, respectively, and its failure to qualify for the 2016 Olympics. This regress requires the national team training process for the new 2017-2020 Olympic cycle being analyzed, with analyses of the club team performances in the 2016-17 national championships including the training/ competitive loads and competitive success rates, particularly in the top-priority matches, with a set of core special fitness rating criteria being applied to rate the players’ fitness for the top-ranking global events.

Objective of the study was to analyze the men’s national basketball team competitive performance in the  2011-17 seasons.

Methods and structure of the study. Applied for the study purposes were the competitive reporting data analyses, with the input data mined in the technical competitive records with a special emphasis on the technical and tactical match-specific performance and competitive load rating data.

Study findings and discussion. We analyzed the national team performance in the 2011-17 European Championships versus that of the leading teams including Spain, France, Lithuania, Italy and Greece.

Composition of the Russia national team was estimated to be renewed by 24%, 16% and 32% prior to the 2011, 2013 and 2015 European Championships, respectively. It should be noted that the highest national team renewal rate of 56% was achieved by Serbia in 2013; and the lowest renewal rate of 8% by Lithuania in 2011 and France in 2015.

In 2011-15, the Russia national team went through the period of intense rotations in the coaching group. In 2011 it was coached by David Blatt, in 2013 by Vasily Karasev, and in 2015 by Evgeniy Pashutin – versus, for instance, the France national team coached by Vincent Collette only for the whole period.

Furthermore, the average age of the Russia national teams in the 2011-15 European Championships was estimated at 26 years, versus the youngest (25 years) Serbia team and the oldest (28 years) Spain and Lithuania teams.

The team anthropometric data of the 2011-15 European Championships show the Russia and Serbia teams being the tallest (205 cm) and the Spain team the shortest (201 cm) for the period. The Greece team was leading in the average body weight (107 kg) versus the lightest France team (99 kg), with the Russia team rated average at 101 kg.

Having analyzed the individual competitive performances of the prospects for the Russia national team in the regular 2016-17 United VTB League championships, we found their competitive workloads averaging under 70.0% that is clearly insufficient for qualification to the national team since the modern standards require the average competitive loads in elite teams coming to at least 85.0%.

In the mental performance domain including the individual determination and responsibility for the team success, only 38.6% of the prospects for the startup line of the national team were tested fully mentally fit; plus only 34.7% were tested stress tolerant (as verified by the penalty throw success rates); highly successful (above 50.0%) in the 3-point shots were only 2 (0.07% of the sample) players; and highly successful (above 50.0%) in the 2-point shots were 65.3% of the sample.

Conclusion. The study data and analyses gave us the grounds for the following guiding recommendations on how the men’s national basketball team should be composed for the future European Championships:

• Competitive performances of the prospects for the Russia national team in the regular 2016-17 United VTB League championships shall be taken into account, including the following performance rates: total game load shall be at least 85.0% high; player’s versatility rate i.e. the active and determined offence with the high 2-3-point shooting success rate of at least 50% and penalty success rate of at least 85,0%; reasonably good mental fitness rates including determination and responsibility for team success, with the startup line contribution coming to at least 50.0%; and due activity and efficiency of individual technical and tactical actions per match;
• Individual performance ratings shall be complemented by the following special fitness test rates: vertical balancing skills rates tested by a stability test platform; speed-strength rates tested by the jump and sprint tests; anaerobic capacity rates tested by treadmill tests driven by the 30-sec Wingate standard test; shooting endurance rated by a 5-point test; dribbling quality test rate; visual-motor coordination and motor response rates tested by Dynavision D2 Test System; psychophysical test rates generated by the Standard test (response time in s); attention control test rates; competitive attention control test rate (tested in the ball handling process); and choice reaction test rate;
• Every prospect shall be tested in the training process on a regular basis to obtain the body functionality test rates using the relevant integrated test systems like, for instance, the ESTECK System, to obtain a 100% reliable functionality test data. This express test system takes only 6 min to produce 4 arrays of test data by the following tests: bioimpedance measurement test; digital pulsewave analysis; digital heart rate variability analysis; and galvanic skin reaction test. The integrated test rates are analyzable on the monitor to see the whole bodily functionality picture detailed by the following 10 specific modules: blood pressure; blood flow (haemodynamic) rates; SV components; systolic time; arterial stiffness; sudoscan test; sympathetic nervous system test; parasympathetic nervous system test; О₂ indices; and fat mass; with every test rate presentable in percentage terms on a 100-point scale; and
• Coaching team may apply the test data flow to efficiently manage the team training process and individual game-role-specific trainings; customize the team offence and defence to the strongest skills of the players; and design the most efficient team control and management models.

References

1. Andryushchenko O.N., Averyasov V.V., Averyasova Y.O. Organizatsiya uchebno-trenirovochnogo protsessa po basketbolu na osnove interaktivnykh tekhnologiy obucheniya [Organization of basketball teaching and training process through interactive learning technologies]. Innovatsionnye tekhnologii v nauke i obrazovanii, 2016, no. 1-1 (5), pp. 101-104.
2. Andryushchenko O.N. Basketbol: podgotovka k sorevnovatelnoy deyatelnosti. Ucheb. posobie [Basketball: pre-season training. Study guide]. Volgograd: VLSAA Niva publ., 2006, 124 p.
3. Loseva I.V., Martynova A.V. Novye formy organizatsii podgotovki sportivnogo rezerva v Rossii na sovremennom etape [New forms of training process for Russian sports reserve at present stage]. Fizicheskoe vospitanie i detsko-yunosheskiy sport, 2017, no. 2, pp. 39-41.
4. Chernov S.V., Andryushchenko L.B., Averyasova J.O., Andryushchenko O.N. Adaptatsiya basketbolistok 17-20 let k sorevnovatelnoy deyatelnosti pri perehode v komandy vysokogo klassa [17-20 year-old female basketball players' competitive adaptation upon promotion to higher-class team]. Teoriya i praktika fiz. kultury, 2017, no. 4, pp. 78-82.

Corresponding author: yulasha15@mail.ru

Abstract

The study analyzes findings of the research project to improve efficiency of the sport reserve training system applied in the national elite basketball. Applied for the study purposes were the competitive reporting data analyses, with the input data mined in the technical competitive records with a special emphasis on the technical and tactical match-specific performance and competitive load rating data. The reported data analysis gave us the grounds to offer recommendations on how the men’s national basketball team may be composed for the upcoming European championship based on the following: analysis of the individual performance in the United Basketball League using a variety of performance and pre-season fitness rating criteria; detailed tests and analyses in the training sessions; and systemic monitoring of individual performance in the training process using the relevant computerized test systems like ESTECK System that provides 100% accurate physical fitness rating test data. The coaching team shall apply the objective performance rating data to make timely adjustments to the individual and team training plans and game roles, with the offence and defense strategies and team management models being adjusted to benefit from the individual best qualities and skills.