Effects of a Structured Ball-Handling Training Program on Selected Fundamental Basketball Skills Among Sport Sciences Students

Abstract

Background

Fundamental basketball skills require technical and motor abilities developed through training. Ball-handling activities may improve dribbling while supporting offensive skills such as passing and shooting. However, evidence regarding the additional benefits of structured ball-handling programs beyond regular instruction remains limited.

Objective

This study examined whether a structured ball-handling training program improved shooting, passing, and dribbling performance and produced greater gains than regular instruction.

Methods

A quasi-experimental pretest–posttest design with two nonequivalent groups was used. Fifty-six male students enrolled in a Basic Basketball Skills course at the University of Jordan were purposively selected and divided into an experimental group (n = 28) and a control group (n = 28). The experimental group completed an 18-session ball-handling program over six weeks, with three 50-min sessions per week, in addition to regular instruction; the control group received instruction only. Shooting success rate, successful passes completed in 30 s, and dribbling completion time were assessed pre- and post-intervention. Within-group changes were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and between-group differences using the Mann–Whitney U test. Effect sizes were calculated using r = |Z|/√N.

Results

Both groups improved significantly in shooting, passing, and dribbling (p < .001). In the experimental group, shooting success increased from 0.230 ± 0.149 to 0.368 ± 0.090, successful passes from 18.61 ± 2.38 to 23.29 ± 3.33 per 30 s, and dribbling time decreased from 16.16 ± 1.85 to 14.24 ± 2.08 s. At posttest, the experimental group outperformed the control group in shooting (p = .014) and passing (p = .038), but not dribbling (p = .171). However, improvement was significantly greater in the experimental group for shooting (p = .022), passing (p < .001), and dribbling (p < .001). Between-group effect sizes were moderate for shooting (r = .307), moderate-to-large for passing (r = .447), and large for dribbling (r = .690).

Conclusions

A structured six-week ball-handling program provided additional benefits beyond regular instruction, producing greater improvements in all three skills. The program particularly benefited shooting and passing, while dribbling showed greater improvement without a significant absolute posttest difference. Structured ball-handling activities may therefore complement regular instruction and support skill development.