# Closed vs. Open-Skill Contexts in Basketball: Insights into Reactive and Nonreactive Short Distance Sprint Performance More Closely Aligned with Game Demands 

## TL;DR

This study shows that basketball players are slower during unpredictable sprints compared to predictable ones, highlighting the importance of reactive speed in real game situations.

## Contribution

The study introduces a comparison of sprint performance under closed- and open-skill conditions in basketball, emphasizing reactive speed.

## Key findings

- Sprint times were significantly slower in open-skill conditions at both 5 m and 10 m distances.
- Ranking consistency between closed- and open-skill sprints was low, showing different performance profiles.
- No significant interaction was found between condition and distance, though shorter distances showed a greater slowdown.

## Abstract

Background: Basketball requires frequent short-distance sprints performed under both predictable (closed-skill) and unpredictable (open-skill) conditions. Objectives: This study compared sprint performance between closed- and open-skill conditions in 37 professional male basketball players aged 16–18 years. We aimed to determine whether sprint times differ between conditions and distances, test for a condition-by-distance interaction, and evaluate whether player rankings remain consistent across conditions. Methods: All players completed 5 m and 10 m sprints under both closed- and open-skill formats. Performance was analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) for main effects and interactions, paired-samples t-tests for condition-specific comparisons, and correlation analyses to examine ranking consistency. Results: Sprint times were significantly slower in open-skill compared to closed-skill conditions at both distances (p < 0.001), indicating a clear performance decrement when responding to a visual stimulus. No significant condition-by-distance interaction was observed, despite a descriptively greater slowdown at shorter distances. Ranking consistency between conditions was low, indicating that faster closed-skill performers did not necessarily maintain their advantage in open-skill scenarios. Conclusions: These findings suggest that open-skill sprinting may reflect a distinct performance profile integrating physical acceleration and perceptual–cognitive processing. Including reactive sprint assessments in studies may enhance the sport-specific evaluation of explosive speed in basketball.