The Influence of the 'Trier Social Stress Test' on Free Throw Performance in Basketball: An Interdisciplinary Study.
The aim of the present study was to explore the relationship between stress and sport performance in a controlled setting. The experimental protocol used to induce stress in a basketball free throw was the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) and its control condition (Placebo-TSST). Participants (n = 19), novice basketball players but trained sportspersons, were exposed to two counterbalanced conditions in a crossover design. They were equipped with sensors to measure movement execution, while salivary cortisol and psychological state were also measured. The task consisted of two sequences of 40 free throws, one before either the TSST or Placebo-TSST and one after. Physiological and psychological measures evidenced that the TSST induced significant stress responses, whereas the Placebo-TSST did not. Shooting performance remained stable after the TSST but decreased after the Placebo-TSST. We found no effect of the TSST or Placebo-TSST on movement execution. A multivariate model of free throw performance demonstrated that timing, smoothness and explosiveness of the movements are more relevant to account for beginner's behavior than stress-related physiological and psychological states. We conclude that the TSST is a suitable protocol to induce stress responses in sport context, even though the effects on beginners' free throw performance and execution are small and complex.
Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, ISM, Inst Movement Sci, Marseille, France.
Nicolas
N
Mascret
Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, ISM, Inst Movement Sci, Marseille, France.
Jorge
J
Ibáñez-Gijón
Aix Marseille Université, LPCLS EA 3278, 13621, Aix-en-Provence, France.
Vincent
V
Bréjard
Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, ISM, Inst Movement Sci, Marseille, France.|Department of Kinesiology, KU Leuven, Tervuursevest 101, 3001, Leuven, Heverlee, Belgium.
Martinus
M
Buekers
Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, ISM, Inst Movement Sci, Marseille, France.
Rémy
R
Casanova
Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, ISM, Inst Movement Sci, Marseille, France.
Tanguy
T
Marqueste
Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, ISM, Inst Movement Sci, Marseille, France.
Gilles
G
Montagne
Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, ISM, Inst Movement Sci, Marseille, France.
Guillaume
G
Rao
Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, ISM, Inst Movement Sci, Marseille, France.
Yannick
Y
Roux
Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, ISM, Inst Movement Sci, Marseille, France.|Université de Toulon, Toulon, France.
François
F
Cury
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001490:Basketball / Q000523:psychology*; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D005080:Exercise Test; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000378:metabolism*
D006854:Hydrocortisone