Influence of game space on the design of wheelchair basketball tasks

Abstract

The design and organization of the training tasks in Wheelchair Basketball (WB) determine the load to which the players are exposed. Therefore, the aims of the present study were twofold: (a) to identify the existing associations between the pedagogical variables and the game space that define the training tasks by a coach of a professional WB team using the integral analysis system of training tasks (SIATE) tool, and (b) to analyze the self-defined profile of the two coaches. A total of 46 tasks coded during two months of coaching were analyzed. The following questionnaires were used to determine the coaches’ self-defined profile: (i) Coach Orientation Questionnaire; (ii) Coach Knowledge and Skills Questionnaire; (iii) Coach Decision Questionnaire; and (iv) Coach Planning Style Questionnaire. The results reported a relationship between the playing space and the design of the tasks defined by the pedagogical variables. Positional situations in WB are mainly used for 1 × 0 tasks, during warm-up, by means of simple and unopposed application games. In the same way, 1 × 0 tasks are used in midfield game situations. On the other hand, coaches use the round-trip court in more complex game situations, 4 × 4 and 5 × 5, in which attack and defense contents are worked together, by means of specific complex games of numerical equality for the training of collective technical–tactical attacking schemes. Planning and evaluation of the training sessions provide knowledge regarding the evolution of the physical condition and load to which the players are exposed. The WB coaches should handle a wide repertoire of general and specific contents to improve the quality of training sessions, and consequently, the performance in the game.