Study: a friendly pat on the back can improve basketball performance

The University of Basel researchers found that the probability of making a free throw rose if a female player had previously received a friendly touch of support from teammates. KEYSTONE

Patting a player on the back can help increase the chances of scoring in basketball, according to research by the University of Basel. Swiss scientists found that female basketball players were more likely to score a free throw if their teammates gave them a friendly tap on the shoulder or squeeze of the hand beforehand.

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“Our results speak in favour of the power of touch,” wrote the researchers led by Christiane Büttner in the study published in the journal “Psychology of Sport & Exercise”.

The scientists from the University of Basel analysed 835 pairs of free throws in 60 women’s games in the US National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) college basketball league. A player is awarded free throws in basketball if he or she is fouled while attempting a shot. In most cases, there are then two free throws, which the fouled player can convert into one point per shot. Many games are decided by such free throws.

Especially when stress levels are high

It was found that the probability of scoring with a free throw increased if the players had previously received a touch of support from their team-mates, for example in the form of a pat on the back or a handshake. However, this effect was particularly noticeable after a failed first throw.

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“Support from teammates is therefore particularly helpful when the stress level is already high because the first of the two throws was missed,” said Büttner, summarising the results of the study in a press release from the University of Basel on Monday.

It cannot be ruled out that male athletes may react differently to contact, the researchers wrote in the study. However, women are better suited to such a study as they have more consistent free throw rates than men. According to the psychologist, it is quite conceivable that a pat on the back or handshake also helps deal with stress and improve performance in other tasks which are achieved as part of a team.

Adapted from German by DeepL/dkk/sb

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