COMPARISON OF ADULT MALE AND FEMALE PERFORMANCE ON THE BASKETBALL FREE THROW TO THAT OF ADOLESCENT BOYS

Abstract

Modifying the adult version of competitive sports by adjusting the rules and/or playing environment for smaller and younger players is a common practice followed throughout the United States by many youth sport organizations. It has been suggested that such modifications increase the player's level of success as well as enjoyment of the game (Seefeldt & Gould, 1980). Whether or not these changes facilitate development of the fundamental skills associated with the sport is a question yet to be addressed in the literature, however. Adult models are often used as the standard against which teachers and coaches involved with young players measure their development and, ultimately, their performance. Movement patterns demonstrated by adults and adolescents under regulation and/or modified conditions have not been compared. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to compare selected performance parameters of skilled adult male and female collegiate players to that of seventh grade boys shooting with two different ball sizes at two basket heights.