Physical, Physiological, Technical and Tactical Responses According to Playing Position in Male Basketball: A Systematic Scoping Review

Field, Adam (2025) Physical, Physiological, Technical and Tactical Responses According to Playing Position in Male Basketball: A Systematic Scoping Review. Journal of Human Kinetics. ISSN 1640-5544 (In Press)

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Abstract

Understanding the physical, physiological, technical, and tactical demands of basketball as they vary by playing position is essential for optimizing and individualizing training sessions. While numerous studies on basketball's demands have been conducted in recent years, there remains a need for a review that summarizes how playing position influences these various demands in male basketball players. The purpose of this study is to collect the physical, physiological, technical, and tactical variables during training sessions and games with male professional or semiprofessional basketball players according to their playing position. In accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, and the respective extensions for scoping reviews, searches were performed on four electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science). The studies were included if the sample comprised male professional or semiprofessional basketball players; the assessment was performed in the context of training sessions or games, and needed to report the physical, physiological, technical, and tactical demands. From the searches performed, 47 manuscripts were included in the present scoping review. Although the methodological approaches varied considerably across studies, the main findings suggest that (i) guards covered more distance and performed more accelerations and decelerations than forwards and centers; (ii) high-speed or high-intensity running was higher in forwards; (iii) successful shoots, and rebounds were, on average, greater for centers; and (iv) with respect to the physiological demands, heart rate responses were predominantly greater for centers. In conclusion, this review serves as a valuable reference for basketball coaches regarding the physical and physiological demands associated with different playing positions. It is important to highlight the methodological inconsistencies observed across the studies when examining demands by position. Therefore, establishing standardized methodological assessments and a common framework to normalize the physical, physiological, technical, and tactical variables of interest is essential.