Basketball is a very popular sport where two teams, usually of five players each, against each other on a rectangular diamond shaped court, battle for the ball with the objective of scoring points through the basket, with the winner becoming the winner. This game has been around since the ancient time and was developed in America during the 1800s as a way of recreation. The game involves passing the ball from one player to another player and it can also involve a play ‘faking’ a spike shot in order to make the ball roll more gracefully through the hoop.
A recent study carried out in NCAA by the Department of Psychology, University of Oregon revealed some interesting facts about basketball. It was found that playing basketball results in increased levels of testosterone in men. Testosterone is known to be a positive effect of basketball on muscle mass and strength. The increase in muscle mass due to consistent playing of basketball results in increased bone density as well. This would mean that basketball players would have greater chances of recovering from injuries easily. Further, basketball players show a higher amount of muscular endurance than other sports people.
Another interesting finding from this study shows that playing basketball requires more mental and physical strength than any other sport. This is because basketball relies more on the ability to make quick decisions under stressful conditions and it requires the athlete to be highly alert and energetic. In addition to these qualities, basketball requires the athletes to have a good body composition. The higher the body fat percentage, lower the performance level.
A major proportion of athletes playing basketball requires high levels of aerobic exercise. The reason behind this fact is that playing basketball requires an intense cardiovascular activity which activates the aerobic system. Therefore, a good body composition is of utmost importance to basketball players.
Basketball players show signs of dehydration after exercising. Therefore, drinking plenty of water before playing basketball is very important. Water prevents fluid retention and maintains proper hydration for the players. It also regulates the rate of breathing. Moreover, it improves the endurance of the muscles as well as preventing injury.
The most critical aspect for basketball players would be flexibility. This is because the muscles of the body are mostly injured during physical games. Therefore, basketball players should be flexible in their moves to prevent injuries. Injuries to muscles usually occur during intense physical play.