Use of IoT technologies to improve shooting performance in basketball

Abstract

Technology is revolutionizing the world of sports in every way, from the experience of fans to the making and customising of training plans and even refereeing. Inertial sensors are now being used in many sports as they allow effective tracking of metrics that were previously not “within reach” without affecting the performance of players, due to the improvement of their size and “durability”. But it is not just the technological component that is evolving; new strategies and tactical displays are being increasingly seen in several sports, such as basketball. Indeed, in the NBA, in recent years a new trend has emerged as teams are shooting more 3pt shots, and the centre position is progressing as taller players are asked to be more skilled than ever. However, although the game of basketball is changing, a gain in efficiency is not being observed in jump shooting since the percentages of 3pt shots made in the NBA are not increasing as it would be expected from the increase in 3pt shot attempts. The purpose of this study was thus to analyse and make recommendations concerning the use of current technology for tracking shooting performance, as well as the use of new sensors. In order to do so, the main factors behind shooting success were taken into account, to guarantee that the recommendations were as well-founded as possible. The chosen methodology was design science research, where the proposed artifacts were submitted to validation through interviews, and according to received feedback, the proposed artifacts were updated.