1/4 Hour Neuro #24: "Does merely repeating a basketball shot lead to improvement?"

The Importance of Deliberate Practice for Improvement

The idea that merely repeating a gesture, such as a basketball shot, is sufficient for improvement is a simplistic view. The concept of "ten thousand hours of practice" requires nuance. It is essential to turn to Ericsson and his model of deliberate practice. This approach involves returning to training with a beginner's mindset, with the goal of consciously integrating identified improvement points, rather than mechanically repeating the same movement.

Repeating an action without intention or awareness can be counterproductive. It’s not about accumulating the highest volume of repetitions, but rather engaging in thoughtful practice with clear intentions, allowing for breaks to become aware of the movement. Constant repetition of an imperfect gesture does not lead to progress; it rather ingrains bad habits.

Beyond the Gesture: Neuro-Cognitive and Physical Factors

The performance of a basketball shot depends not only on the mechanics of the shot. It is crucial to identify and work on limiting factors, whether neurological, physical, or neuro-cognitive, particularly concerning information uptake.

A basketball shot occurs in a complex and dynamic environment, with opponents and spatio-temporal constraints. Training must therefore reflect these conditions. Simply "shooting alone" will not yield much if one does not develop the ability to execute the gesture under pressure and in interaction with the environment.

Integration of Sensory Information

In a game situation, a shot is never taken under ideal conditions. It may involve a shift, a jump, a push, thus engaging the vestibular and proprioceptive systems. The integration of this bio-informational data is fundamental and must be worked on in advance. This is where neuroscience proves its relevance.

Vision problems, such as convergence or fixation issues, can directly impact shot accuracy, especially at long distances. If the eye struggles to target or maintain stable fixation, anxiety and stress can increase, negatively affecting the efficiency of the gesture. Therefore, it is essential to work on these motor and information uptake aspects.

The Progression Cycle through Adapted Difficulty

To progress, it is recommended to follow a learning cycle that begins with a "novice" phase on a specific technical cue. Through rapid feedback (from a coach, video), the athlete becomes "competent". Then, with more feedback and practice, they gain "experience", ultimately reaching a level of "mastery". Once mastery is achieved, the difficulty should be increased or a new cue introduced, bringing the athlete back to a "novice" state with this new task. This allows for continued improvement of inter and intra-muscular coordination.

Simple repetition without the intention of progression, without attempting to pass through these different stages, does not lead to real improvement. It is not about pure volume overload, but rather a progressive overload in terms of coordination and complexity.

The Influence of Primitive Reflexes and Collaboration

Non-integrated primitive reflexes, such as extension reflexes related to jumping or neck reflexes during tensions, can reduce the efficiency of a movement and an entire muscular chain. These aspects must be verified as they can impact the quality of the shot beyond the mere repetition of the gesture.

The combination of task-specific analysis in sports with work on neuro-cognitive factors and primitive reflexes is crucial. Close collaboration with the coach is essential to transition from the general to the specific. It is this holistic approach that will make the repetition of the gesture much more efficient for the player.