Two percent dehydration impairs and six percent carbohydrate drink improves boys basketball skills.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the effects of exercise heat-induced two percent dehydration (DEH) and euhydration (EUH) with a six percent carbohydrate-electrolyte solution (CES) compared with placebo EUH (P EUH) on basketball skills in skilled young players.


METHODS
Fifteen 12- to 15-yr-old boys underwent three separate 2-h exercise heat exposures (double blind, random order): 2% DEH by limiting fluid intake during exercise in the heat and basketball skill drills, EUH (no net weight change) with a 6% CES, and EUH with a flavored water placebo (P EUH). After recovery, subjects performed an orchestrated sequence of continuous basketball drills designed to simulate a game (12-min quarters + a 10-min halftime). Performance measures and component drills inherent to basketball included various individual and combined shooting percentages (3-point, 15-foot, free-throw shots), sprint (suicides, court widths), lateral movement (zigzags, lane slides), and defensive drill (combining lateral and front-to-back movement) times.


RESULTS
Compared with P EUH (53 +/- 11%), combined shooting percentage was impaired by 2% DEH (45 +/- 9%; P = 0.002) and improved by CES intake (60 +/- 8%; P = 0.003). Total sprint times showed a similar effect (83 +/- 10 vs 78 +/- 9 vs 76 +/- 9 s; DEH vs P EUH vs CES; P < 0.001 and P = 0.04, respectively). Total lateral movement times were impaired by 2% DEH (73 +/- 8 vs 68 +/- 8 s; P = 0.001). CES improved total defensive drill times compared with 2% DEH (77 +/- 10 vs 82 +/- 10; P = 0.006).


CONCLUSIONS
Deterioration in basketball skill performance accompanies two percent dehydration in skilled 12- to 15-yr-old basketball players. Additionally, EUH with a 6% CES significantly improves shooting performance and on-court sprinting over EUH with water.
Dougherty
Kelly A
KA
Noll Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802-6900, USA. kad931@psu.edu
Baker
Lindsay B
LB
Chow
Mosuk
M
Kenney
W Larry
WL
D000293:Adolescent; D001490:Basketball / Q000502:physiology*; D001628:Beverages; D001831:Body Temperature; D002648:Child; D003681:Dehydration / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000187:drug effects*; D010807:Physical Endurance / Q000187:drug effects*; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D014882:Water-Electrolyte Balance
D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates