Effects of Preshot Routine on Free-Throw Shooting

Abstract

The effect of prohibiting the use of a preshot routine on free-throw shooting in competitive situations was investigated. 25 male high school basketball players were instructed to attempt 50 free throws alternating in blocks of 10 between the use of their preshot routine and shooting without it. To make the situation competitive, subjects were run in groups of five and their performance was recorded on a large easel placed to the side of the free-throw line. A significantly larger number of baskets were made in the preshot routine condition than without the routine. A competitive situation led to a greater decrement in baskets than had been reported in 1986 by Lobmeyer and Wassermen during noncompetitive free-throw shooting.

The Beneficial Effects of Anticipating Anxiety-Related Symptoms: An Investigation of Paradoxical-Success Imagery in the Laboratory

“…A preperformance routine is a systematic, routine pattern of action and thoughts that can aid athletic performance (Boutcher & Rotella, 1987). Empirical evidence for preperformance routines has been demonstrated for sports such as basketball (e.g., Czech, Ploszay, & Burke, 2004;Gayton, Cielinski, Francis-Keniston, & Hearns, 1989;Lobmeyer & Wasserman, 1986), golf (e.g., Cohn, 1991;Cohn, Rotella, & Lloyd, 1990;Crews & Boutcher, 1986), and bowling (e.g., Masagno, Marchant, & Morris, 2008), to name a few. Singer (1988Singer ( , 2000 recommended the use of a 5-step strategy as a preperformance routine for self-paced skills such as the golfchipping task used in the current study.…”

The Psychology of Rituals: An Integrative Review and Process-Based Framework

“…Three lines of research point toward ritual's ability to enhance goal pursuit, although none of this work clearly demonstrates that rituals can overcome deficits in pursuing goals. First, preparation rituals can improve goal-driven performance (Cohn, Rotella, & Lloyd, 1990;Foster, Weigand, & Baines, 2006;Weinberg, Gould, & Jackson, 1979); the majority of these studies examine free-throw shooting performance (Czech, Ploszay, & Burke, 2004;Gayton, Cielinski, Francis-Keniston, & Hearns, 1989;Lobmeyer & Wasserman, 1986;Predebon & Docker, 1992). Here, we can see the overlap between our first two proposed functions.…”

Rituals decrease the neural response to performance failure

“…For instance, performing rituals during athletic events, like right before shooting a free-throw in basketball, helps players perform better (Czech, Ploszay & Burke, 2004; Lobmeyer & Wasserman, 1986; Predebon & Docker, 1992), especially in high-stakes competition and stress (Gayton et al, 1989; Wrisberg & Pein, 1992). The thinking is that rituals help improve performance because they mobilize motivational and regulatory states, either through improving concentration, creating physical readiness, or boosting confidence (Foster, Weigand & Baines, 2006; Weinberg, Gould & Jackson, 1979).…”