Virtual Reality Training for Reducing Technical and Tactical Asymmetry among Professional Basketball Players: A Pilot Study

Man Yuan(1), Kim Geok Soh(2), Chin Yit Siew(3), Ranintya Meikahani(4), Nugroho Puji Santoso(5), Yueyue Sun(6), Zeinab Zaremohzzabieh(7),


(1) Universiti Putra Malaysia
(2) Universiti Putra Malaysia
(3) Universiti Putra Malaysia
(4) Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta
(5) Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta
(6) Universiti Putra Malaysia
(7) University of Religions and Denominations
Corresponding Author

Abstract


Asymmetry in technical and tactical abilities among basketball players limits overall performance, increases injury risk, and affects long-term athletic development. This study explored the potential of virtual reality training to reduce asymmetric performance among professional basketball players in Shandong, China. A cluster randomized controlled trial was employed to compare virtual reality–based training with conventional asymmetric training. Measurements of technical and tactical abilities were conducted before and after the intervention using validated instruments. The findings revealed that virtual reality training effectively reduced asymmetry in technical abilities, whereas both training methods contributed to improvements in tactical abilities. The results highlight the capacity of virtual reality to enhance motor coordination, cognitive adaptation, and learning efficiency. The study provides initial evidence supporting the integration of virtual reality into athlete development programs, offering innovative approaches for improving technical balance and advancing digital transformation in professional sports training.

Keywords


Asymmetric training; Basketball tactical; Basketball technical; Professional basketball player; Virtual reality

References


Abich, J., Parker, J., Murphy, J. S., and Eudy, M. (2021). A review of the evidence for training effectiveness with virtual reality technology. Educational Technology Research and Development, 69(9), 2781- 2799.

Arede, J., Vaz, R., Franceschi, A., Gonzalo-Skok, O., and Leite, N. (2018). Effects of a combined strength and conditioning training program on physical abilities in adolescent male basketball players. The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 59(8), 1298-1305.

Bishop, C., Turner, A., and Read, P. (2018). Effects of inter-limb asymmetries on physical and sports performance: a systematic review. Journal of Sports Sciences, 36(10), 1135-1144.

Bolarinwa, O. A. (2015). Principles and methods of validity and reliability testing of questionnaires used in social and health science researches. Nigerian Postgraduate Medical Journal, 22(4), 195-201.

Chang, A. A., Kazemi, E., Esmaeili, V., and Davies, M. S. (2024). The effectiveness of virtual reality training: a systematic review. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 44(3), 214-232.

Cossich, V. R., Carlgren, D., Holash, R. J., and Katz, L. (2023). Technological breakthroughs in sport: current practice and future potential of artificial intelligence, virtual reality, augmented reality, and modern data visualization in performance analysis. Applied Sciences, 13(23), 12965.

Delextrat, A., and Martinez, A. (2014). Small-sided game training improves aerobic capacity and technical skills in basketball players. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 35(05), 385-391.

Fort-Vanmeerhaeghe, A., Gual, G., Romero-Rodriguez, D., and Unnitha, V. (2016). Lower limb neuromuscular asymmetry in volleyball and basketball players. Journal of Human Kinetics, 50, 135.

Fox, K. T., Pearson, L. T., and Hicks, K. M. (2023). The effect of lower inter-limb asymmetries on athletic performance: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Plos One, 18(6), e0286942.

Huang, C., Zhang, Y., Zhu, C., Zhang, C., Meng, H. (2019). Chinese sports basketball teaching tactics training system combined with multimedia interactive model and virtual reality technology. Multimedia Aools and Applications, 12(6), 1-15.

Kimberlin, C. L., and Winterstein, A. G. (2008). Validity and reliability of measurement instruments used in research. American Journal of Health-system Pharmacy, 65(23), 2276-2284.

Koo, T. K., and Li, M. Y. (2016). A Guideline of Selecting and Reporting Intraclass Correlation Coefficients for Reliability Research. Journal of Chiropractic Medicine, 15(2), 155-163.

Lanier, M., Waddell, T. F., Elson, M., Tamul, D. J., Ivory, J. D., and Przybylski, A. (2019). Virtual reality check: statistical power, reported results, and the validity of research on the psychology of virtual reality and immersive environments. Computers in Human Behavior, 100, 70–78.

Li, H. (2021). Research on basketball sports training based on virtual reality technology. In Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 1992(3), 032047.

Moro, C., Štromberga, Z., and Stirling, A. (2017). Virtualisation devices for student learning: Comparison between desktop-based (Oculus Rift) and mobile-based (Gear VR) virtual reality in medical and health science education. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 33(6), 1-10.

Niu, L., and Zhao, P. (2023). Reasons for China's men's basketball team's defeat in the 2023 World Cup and strategies for breaking through Liaoning. Sports Science and Technology, 3(04), 111-116.

Pagé, C., Bernier, P. M., and Trempe, M. (2019). Using video simulations and virtual reality to improve decision-making skills in basketball. Journal of sports sciences, 37(21), 2403-2410.

Putranto, J. S., Heriyanto, J., Achmad, S., and Kurniawan, A. (2023). Implementation of virtual reality technology for sports education and training: systematic literature review. Procedia Computer Science, 216, 293-300.

Sirnik, M., Erčulj, F., and Rošker, J. (2022). Research of visual attention in basketball shooting: A systematic review with meta-analysis. International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching, 17(5), 1195-1210.

Tannoubi, A., Ouergui, I., Srem-Sai, M., Hagan, J. E., Quansah, F., and Azaiez, F. (2023). Effectiveness of video modeling in improving technical skills in young novice basketball players: A quasi-experimental study. Children, 10(4), 687.

Versic, S., Pehar, M., Modric, T., Pavlinovic, V., Spasic, M., Uljevic, O., and Sekulic, D. (2021). Bilateral symmetry of jumping and agility in professional basketball players: Differentiating performance levels and playing positions. Symmetry, 13(8), 1316.

Wang, X., Han, B., Zhang, S., Zhang, L., Lorenzo Calvo, A., and Gomez, M. Á. (2022). The differences in the performance profiles between native and foreign players in the Chinese basketball association. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 788498.

Warnier, N, Lambregts, S., and Port, IV. D. (2020). Effect of virtual reality therapy on balance and walking in children with cerebral palsy: a systematic review. Developmental Neurorehabilitation, 23(8), 502-518.

Wei, W., Qin, Z., Yan, B., Wang, Q. (2022). Application effect of motion capture technology in basketball resistance training and shooting hit rate in immersive virtual reality environment. Computational Intelligence and Neuroscience, 2022(1), 4584980

Xie, B., Liu, H., Alghofaili, R., Zhang, Y., Jiang, Y., Lobo, F. D., and Yu, L. F. (2021). A review on virtual reality skill training applications. Frontiers in Virtual Reality, 2, 645153.

Zeng, J., Xu, J., Xu, Y., Zhou, W., and Xu, F. (2022). Effects of 4-week small-sided games vs. high-intensity interval training with changes of direction in female collegiate basketball players. International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching, 17(2), 366-375.

Zhang, W., Chen, X., Xu, K., Xie, H., Chen, J., Zhu, Z., Ji, H., Li, D., and Sun, J. (2024). The potential of a targeted unilateral compound training program to reduce lower limb strength asymmetry and increase performance: a proof-of-concept in basketball. Frontiers in Physiology, 15, 1361719.

Zhang, Y., and Tsai, S. B. (2021). Application of adaptive virtual reality with AI‐enabled techniques in modern sports training. Mobile Information Systems, 2021(1), 6067678.


Full Text: PDF

Article Metrics

Abstract View : 117 times
PDF Download : 43 times

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2025 Bumi Publikasi Nusantara

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.