Influence of reaction ball exercises on sensorimotor reactions of student basketball players

Specialists testify to the positive influence of the system of exercises with the use of technical means of training on the indicators of preparedness of players in sports games. The level of manifestation of sensorimotor reactions is of great importance in training and competitive activity of representatives of sports games. However, the educational and training process of improving sensorimotor reactions, which includes the development and use of methods of effective use of technical means of teaching basketball, is not sufficiently studied. The purpose and objectives of the study. To experimentally test the effectiveness of specially selected exercises with a reaction ball aimed at changes in the indicators of sensorimotor reactions of basketball players of a student team. Material and methods of the study. Research methods: theoretical analysis and generalisation of scientific and methodological literature; testing of sensorimotor reactions; pedagogical experiment; methods of mathematical statistics. The study involved 2 student teams of Kharkiv. The experimental group consisted of players (12 boys) from the Kharkiv State Academy of Physical Culture, and the control group included players (12 boys) from Kharkiv National Automobile and Highway University. The study took place in September-December 2021. In order to determine the psychophysiological abilities of basketball players, tests were used to assess sensorimotor reactions to light, sound, reactions to a moving object, and choice reactions. The psychophysiological state was assessed with the help of the hardware and software complex ‘Sports Psychophysiologist’ of the scientific laboratory of the KhDAFC. The pedagogical experiment consisted in supplementing the content of the training process of the experimental group with exercises with reaction balls aimed at improving sensorimotor reactions. Exercises with reaction balls were applied both in individual and group exercises. In individual exercises, basketball players performed throwing the ball at the wall while facing or backing up to it and catching the ball after it bounced off the wall or floor; exercises with throwing the ball uphill and catching it after it bounced off the floor, sometimes the task of making a rotation was added to the exercises. Reaction ball exercises were also performed in pairs and threes, when catching the ball had to be done after it bounced off the floor. Ball passes were performed on the spot and in motion. Some exercises were performed with two balls at the same time. These exercises were included in the main part of each training session. Training sessions were held 4 times a week, lasting 3 academic hours. Results of the study. Indicators of sensorimotor reactions of basketball players of EG were as follows: time of simple reaction to light - 0,285±0,023 s, to sound - 0,452±0,105 s, time of reaction to a moving object - 0,364±0,164 s, time of choice reaction - 0, 417±0.018 s, CG - 0.280±0.100 s, to sound - 0.458±0.090 s, reaction time to a moving object - 0.366±0.102 s, choice reaction time - 0.410±0.090 s, respectively. Supplementing the content of the EG training process with exercises with reaction balls made it possible to improve the indicators of basketball players' sensorimotor reactions. In a simple reaction to light the improvement was 0.052 s, in a reaction to sound - 0.070 s, in a choice reaction - 0.184 s, in a reaction to a moving object - 0.047 s. The greatest improvements were observed in the choice reaction. Conclusions. The introduction of specially selected exercises with reaction balls into the process of physical training improved the indicators of basketball players of EG in a simple reaction to light by 18.24 %, in a reaction to sound - by 15, 48 %, in a choice reaction - by 50.54 % and in a reaction to a moving object - by 11.27 %. Significant changes were observed only in the results of the simple reaction time to light and the choice reaction time (p<0.05). The results of the research make it possible to recommend exercises with a reaction ball for use in the educational and training process in order to develop sensorimotor reactions of basketball players.