The Running Movement in Basketball Performance:

A Discussion from Skill Characteristics and the Morphology

Abstract

　In recent years, the “running movement” in basketball has been taught from a technical standpoint in some instances. However, in basketball instruction manuals, terms such as “skill” and “technique” are used to describe rational body movements like dribbling, passing, and shooting with the ball, but not running movements. In the field of sports kinetics, the running movement in ball games has traditionally been viewed as an “adjusting running form,” but this has not been developed as a technical theory and case studies focusing on athletes’ kinesthetic perceptions. This study seeks to develop a technical theory for running movements in basketball by examining this specific skill nature in basketball performance, technical categories of morphology in basketball games, and the direction and progression of skill training from the perspective of the kinetic horizon structures. Results reveal that the skillful nature of the running was captured by the dual meanings and values of “performative technique” accompanied by tactical intent and “mediative movement” aimed at the demonstration of fundamental motor skills. Morphologies were broadly categorized into eight distinct forms, organized under two primary classifications. Specifically, it were classified into two categories: running movements with and without ball possession. Moreover, each category was further subdivided into four morphologies (sprint form, combination form of sprint and change-of-direction, turn form, and jogging form). In technical training, it was made clear that attention must be paid to the player’s kinetic horizon structure , to the reversibility of intentionality, and to posture and coordination of limbs as the knack. Additionally, this study suggests that accumulating case studies focused on the kinesthetic aspects of running skills during training could enhance the efficiency of skill coaching.