A Study on the Effect of Competitive Anxiety on Accuracy of Basketball Shooting Positions

Abstract

Introduction: The role of psychological stability within the context of the competitive nature of sport may be best appreciated through the time of release of the basketball from the athlete’s hands towards the basket. This entails coordination along what experts call the kinetic chain. In terms of competition anxiety, the latter becomes an interference, causing the SNS to become activated.

Aim of the Study: The present research examines the relationship between trait anxiety in competition and shooting accuracy across three basketball zones, focusing on how anxiety increases performance pressure and acts as a stress multiplier as distance from the basket increases.

Material and Methods: The number of college athletes who participated in this research experiment is 30. Their anxiety score is determined using the Sport Competitive Anxiety Test (SCAT), which was designed by Martens in 1977. Based on their SCAT scores, the subjects were classified as Low, Average, or High anxiety subjects. In order to obtain accuracy scores, the participants were required to shoot twenty times in three areas, which are 15 feet, 17 feet, and 22.15 feet.

Result: It was observed that a statistically significant negative correlation existed between anxiety levels and free throw percentage. While it may be noted that the high anxiety subjects were able to outperform the low anxiety subjects by 16%, their ability to shoot from three-point range was negatively affected, as there was a 63% difference between them. Scoring high on SCAT test correlated strongly with various somatic symptoms, such as "tachycardia" (90% "often") and being "uptight" (100% "often").

Conclusions: Performance differences can be caused by competitive anxiety. The negative effects associated with this issue become greater when there is a bigger gap between the shooter and his target. The SCAT with fifteen points is a vital instrument for the coach to understand biological reasons behind mechanical breakdowns such as the absence of the quiet eye effect or muscle co-contraction.