Training and development of Canadian wheelchair basketball players
Abstract
Abstract Considering the growth in research, examining the development of mainstream sport athletes over the past two decades, studies examining development of athletes with disabilities have been surprisingly limited. While similarities in developmental trajectories between the two cohorts may exist regarding factors such as the value of practice, which tend to be universal regardless of context, disability‐related issues (e.g. whether the disability was congenital or acquired) may influence the course of development, affecting variables such as starting age, training and developmental milestones. Fifty‐two male and female athletes training with the Wheelchair Basketball Canada National Academy provided detailed training histories. Athletes illustrated similar developmental patterns (e.g. milestones, training adjustments) as they progressed through their sporting career. However, athletes with congenital disabilities started participation in wheelchair basketball and unorganised practice at significantly younger ages (t 49 = −4.35, p < .001, d = 1.32; t 49 = −3.49, p < .001, d = 1.03, respectively). While athletes with congenital disabilities continued to reach a majority of the sporting milestones at younger ages, athletes with acquired disabilities were able to reach late career milestones (e.g. national debuts) at similar ages. Athletes’ disability severity did not influence their progress through the developmental milestones and time devoted to training throughout their sporting career. Future work may consider examining developmental trajectories and training histories of athletes in various parasports to extend our understanding of their development and skill acquisition.
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The term 'elite' subjects is overused and ill-defined in the exercise science literature.
“Indeed, the term “elite” subjects might be one of the more overused and ill-defined terms in the exercise science literature. 1”
From Defining Training and Performance Caliber: A Participant Classification Framework (2022) · cites this paper as [1]
In an elite sporting context, factors such as biological age and genetics are important.
“whereas in an elite sporting context other factors such as biological age 16 and genetics 17 are undoubtedly important.”
From Defining Training and Performance Caliber: A Participant Classification Framework (2022) · cites this paper as [17]
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- Authors
- Dehghansai, N., Lemez, S., Wattie, N., & Baker, J.
- Affiliations
- York University (CA)
- Ontario Tech University (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Dehghansai, N.
- Venue
- European Journal of Sport Science
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2017-01-18
- Volume
- 17
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 511-518
- ISSN
- 1536-7290 (ISSN-L)
- 1746-1391
- OpenAlex
- W2577666091
- Cited by
- 31
- References
- 18
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 1
- FWCI
- 4.97
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- European Journal of Sport Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Sport Psychology and Performance
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Orthopedics and Sports Medicine › Sports Performance and Training
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Inclusion and Disability in Education and Sport
- Keywords
- wheelchair basketball, athlete development, developmental trajectories, congenital disabilities, acquired disability, disability severity, training history, career milestones, disability sports
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Basketball, Canada, Female, Persons with Disabilities, Humans, Male, Physical Education and Training, Severity of Illness Index, Wheelchairs, Athletic Performance, Young Adult, Athletes
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