Free-Throw Shooting in Basketball: Evaluating the Impact of Opposing Crowd Pressure on Performance and Mood

Abstract

Introduction: During a basketball game, situations happen that awaken emotions, among these situations is the free throw (FT). Playing away from home, that is, with the opposing crowd acting against, seems to worsen the performance. Objective: To evaluate the external influence (opposing fans) on the performance of FT in young basketball players. Methodology: Twelve basketball players (15.8 ± 0.7 years) participated in the study. The experimental sessions were separated into two different days. On day A, the players responded to the subjective perception of recovery scale, after which they were submitted to 40 FT attempts (4 blocks of 10 repetitions with 20 seconds of rest), finally the BRUMS mood questionnaire was answered, the day B followed all the protocols of day A, but with an opposing crowd uttering negative (standardized) word. Results: Block 3 differed between the two conditions, with no external influence the correct answers were = 8.01 ± 2.23, with influence it was 4.83 ± 2.36 (p = 0.0001), in regarding mood, with the opposing crowd the players felt more tense. Conclusion: The opposing crowd negatively influences the performance of FT, in addition to providing higher levels of tension.

Keywords: Concentratio, Performance, Psychology, Humor, Team sports

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Author Biographies

João Pedro Bernardes de Oliveria,

http://lattes.cnpq.br/9192131682040114

Izabela A. Santos,

http://lattes.cnpq.br/3925139554572679

Published
2025-08-30
How to Cite
Oliveria, J. P. B. de, & Santos, I. A. (2025). Free-Throw Shooting in Basketball: Evaluating the Impact of Opposing Crowd Pressure on Performance and Mood. Lecturas: Educación Física Y Deportes, 30(328), 110-122. https://doi.org/10.46642/efd.v30i328.8113
Section
Research Articles