BIOMOTOR AND TECHNICAL FEATURES OF WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL PLAYERS BY CLASSIFICATION SCORES: A PILOT STUDY

Abstract

Purpose: This study was conducted to examine the biomotor and technical skills of wheelchair basketball players through their classification scores. Methods: A total of 22 male athletes, 11 with low trunk control (1 to 2.5 points) and 11 with high trunk control (3 to 4.5 points) from Turkish Wheelchair Basketball First League, voluntarily participated in the research. Athletes were grouped according to the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation functional classification system. Biomotor features of the athletes and wheelchair basketball skill test scores were measured. SPSS 24.0 program was used for data analysis. Group differences were determined by Mann-Whitney U analysis. Results: The study revealed statistically significant differences were in classification points, trunk balance, modified sit-up, modified abdominal endurance, 20 m speed, slalom without the ball, slalom with the ball and 6-min endurance race test parameters (p <0.05). Conclusion: It can be argued that athletes with low and high trunk control differ in terms of biomotor abilities. However, they have similar features regarding wheelchair basketball technical skills (throwing basketball, layup, shooting, scoring).