Effect of Basket Height Adaptation on Technical–Tactical Skills, Self-Efficacy, Cooperation, and Students’ Perception in a Basketball Unit

Abstract

The adaptation of sports equipment seeks to adjust the learning environment to students’ characteristics. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of adapting the basket height on the execution and decision-making of technical–tactical skills, self-efficacy, cooperation, and students’ perception in a basketball unit. A quasi-experimental design with a control group, pre-test, and post-test was carried out in an eight-session basketball unit. The control group completed the tasks with a basket height of 3.05 m, and the experimental group completed the tasks with a basket height of 2.80 m. The execution and decision-making involved in passing, shooting, and one-on-one situations, students’ self-efficacy, and cooperation were assessed before and after the basketball unit. Students’ perception was assessed throughout the basketball unit. The use of an adapted basket height promoted better execution, more occurrence, and more efficacy for shooting, as well as an increase in the specific individual self-efficacy. The use of the standard basket height involved different technical and tactical solutions by the students as well as an increase in the occurrence and efficacy in one-on-one situations. The students in the control group did not increase their specific individual self-efficacy. The scaled equipment resulted in more variability in the solutions performed by the students (balance between shooting and one-on-one actions).