Effects of task constraints and experience level on adaptations of running in young basketball players: interlimb coordination, symmetry and variability

Running is a functional movement skill in team sports that requires timing, coordination and symmetry in swing, stance and flight phases, continuously shaped by constraints of specific performance contexts (e.g., running with and without a ball). The aim of this study was to examine how interlimb coordination, symmetry and temporal variability in running patterns are regulated by changes in task design and player’s experience level. Participants in this study were novice (N = 12; 2 months practice experience) and trained/intermediate (N = 12; 12 months practice experience) basketball players who ran at their typically preferred pace around a basketball court in two conditions: running only and running whilst dribbling a basketball. Running gait was assessed by recording mean temporal measures of stance, swing and flight phases, along with measures of temporal variability, bilateral symmetry and phase coordination index in the two conditions. Findings of this study revealed that changes in task constraints, from running without the ball to dribbling, resulted in less functional interlimb coordination, increased asymmetry and variability, regardless of player’s experience level. In conclusion, these findings suggest that interlimb coordination, symmetry and variability are temporal running gait parameters that become attuned to required adaptations to specific task constraints (e.g., when dribbling a ball), regardless of experience level. These findings have important implications for the design of training tasks for development of running speed while coordinating actions in team sports.