The Influence of Ball Handling and Fatigue on Cognitive Reactive Agility Performance in Basketball Players

Year 2025, Volume: 16 Issue: 3, 818 - 830, 26.12.2025

Mateja Očić Vedran Dukarić , Feng Li Xu Xiaofe Damir Knjaz

Abstract

Fatigue and ball handling are essential factors influencing basketball performance, as both physical and cognitive demands intensify during the game. Increased fatigue levels influence players' decision-making, reaction time, and ball handling. This study investigates the combined effects of fatigue and ball handling on performance in cognitive reactive agility tests with varying visual stimulus complexity. The sample consists of students from the Faculty of Kinesiology who are experienced basketball players. A three-factor ANOVA was performed, and a statistically significant difference was determined between the various levels of test complexity, as well as between the test results depending on whether it was conducted with or without dribbling the ball (p<0.001). It can be concluded that in the second and third variations (levels of complexity) of the test, participants had difficulty recognizing the correct stimuli, which, in turn, resulted in slower reactions. However, no statistically significant differences were found between the same test complexity levels before and after the fatigue protocol, regardless of whether the test was performed with or without the ball. The methodology used in this research emphasizes the importance of incorporating unpredictable visual stimuli in testing to enhance cognitive decision-making in game-specific conditions. Such protocols could play a crucial role in improving player performance by sharpening motor responses and reactions to game situations.

Keywords

Ball handling , Basketball , Cognitive agility , Fatigue , Visual stimuli

Ethical Statement

Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Zagreb (Croatia) approved the study (13/2024), which was performed following the ethical standards of the Declaration of Helsinki.

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