Positional assessment of selected skill related physical fitness components amongst male Kenyan basketball players
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Date
2007-10
Authors
Kamande, Mwangi Isaac
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Kenyatta University
Abstract
The game of basketball requires a mastery of several skills to play and perform well in a
competition. The aim of this study was to establish the differences in the selected skill
related components of physical fitness in relation to playing positions amongst male
basketball players during the Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) 2005 Premier League
season. The study assessed agility, leg explosive power and aerobic capacity in relation to
playing positions. The league comprised 10 teams of 12 registered players each, thus the
target population was 120 players. The sample included 48 male basketball players from
4 teams which is 40% of the total population. A stratified random sampling procedure
was used to select the teams used in the study. Strathmore University "Blades" male
basketball players were used for the pilot study. An ex-post facto research design was
used in this study. The data obtained through this study was subjected to statistical
analysis using Statistical Package of Social Sciences (S. P. S. S.). Descriptive statistics of
mean and standard deviation were used in the analysis of the data. One-way analysis of
variance (ANOVA) was used to test the research hypotheses. The data collected were
then presented using tables. Four hypotheses were tested and the results showed that there
were no significant differences in agility amongst the guards who were 23 (48% of the
total population), forwards 17 (35%) and centers 8 (17%) at p< 0.05. There were no
significant differences in leg explosive power amongst the guards, forwards and centers
at p< 0.05. There were also no significant difference in aerobic capacity amongst guards,
forwards and centers at p< 0.05. The null hypotheses proposed were therefore not
rejected. The players did not show significant differences in the scores of the components
tested and this was attributed to the lack of specificity during training which takes place
in total contrary to the specific requirements of the positional roles. The study
recommended further research to establish the training regimens followed by various
teams during the off-season and in the competitive season and especially as regards the
requirements of the positional roles not only in basketball but also in other sports. The
study also recommended that Kenya Basketball Federation and the clubs initiate fitness
testing programmes so as to establish norms for the Kenyan basketball players. This
would help to form a basis for developing the selection criteria and guidelines for policy
formulation.
Description
A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Master of Science in the school of Health sciences of Kenyatta University October, 2007