Determinants of Y-Shaped Agility Test in Basketball Players

Abstract

Y-shaped agility test is a reactive agility test that includes both sensory and motor components. However, there is a lack of information about the contribution of these components to reactive agility in basketball players. Therefore, this study investigates: (i) the relationship between Y-shaped agility performance and reaction speed, sprint speed, change of direction speed, muscle strength, and (ii) determinants of this reactive agility test. Eleven male basketball players performed a Y-shaped agility test, 5 m and 20 m sprints, a 505 Agility test, squat, countermovement and drop jumps, and simple and two-choice reaction time tests. The results revealed a significant relationship between the time in Y-shaped agility test and 5 m sprint time (r = 0.795, p = 0.003, R2 = 0.632), 20 m sprint time (r = 0.676, p = 0.022, R2 = 0.457), and reactive strength index (r = −0.619, p = 0.042, R2 = 0.383), but not with simple and choice-based reaction times. These findings indicate that performance in the Y-shaped agility test is more profoundly determined by a motor rather than a sensory component. This may be ascribed to the structure of a predominantly velocity-oriented Y-shaped agility test with a small contribution of responses to visual stimuli. The adaptation of basketball players to training aimed at increasing speed and strength may also play a role. The structure of the Y-shaped agility test should be modified so as to better reflect the sensory component of reactive agility and more sensitively reveal within- and between-group differences.