Evaluating field-goal shooting effectiveness in wheelchair basketball players across a competitive season: a preliminary study

Background: Information about non-elite wheelchair basketball (WB) players across national competitive seasons are still missing. This study aimed at identifying which situational-related variables were associated with shooting effectiveness in non-elite WB players. Methods: All the matches played by one WB team across one national competitive season were video-recorded and analysed; 333 shooting attempts from high-point players and several situational-related variables were considered. Results: Pearson's Chi-square test showed that increased shooting effectiveness under the following conditions: playing on home ground, during won matches, while taking shots with the wheelchair in motion, and when no opposing player raised their arm in defence. Results of the multivariable logistic regression analysis showed a statistically significant influence of match location (p-value = 0.001), shot-clock remaining (p-value = 0.015) and modality of press (p-value < 0.001). The highest attack effectiveness was achieved when teams played at home (odds ratio [OR] = 2.49), while the shooting effectiveness decreased when the shot occurred during the last seconds of the action (OR = 0.36), or the opponents defended with the arm raised (OR = 0.19). These results suggest that coaches should include exercises aimed at shooting under conditions of increased pressure in their programmes in order to create specific situations during the training sessions to prepare their high-point athletes for shots under specific match constraints.