Carole Sève

Space–time coordination dynamics in basketball: Part 2. The interaction between the two teams

Abstract In this article, we examine the space–time coordination dynamics of two basketball teams during competition. We identified six game sequences at random, from which the movement data of each player were obtained for analysis of team behaviours in both the longitudinal (basket-to-basket) and lateral (side-to-side) directions. The central position of a team was measured using its spatial (geometric) centre and dispersion using a stretch index, obtained from the mean distance of team members from the spatial centre. Relative-phase analysis of the spatial centres demonstrated in-phase stabilities in both the longitudinal and lateral directions, with more stability in the longitudinal than lateral direction. As anticipated, this finding is consistent with the results of an analysis of individual playing dyads (see companion article, this issue), as well as the more general principle of complex systems conforming to similar descriptions at different levels of analysis. Phase relations for the stretch index demonstrated in-phase attraction in the longitudinal direction and no attraction to any values in the lateral direction. Finally, the difference between the two stretch indexes at any instant showed phase transitions between two stable patterns when the difference was represented in binary form. This result is attributed to the reciprocity between teams in their amounts of expansion and contraction when possession of the ball is won and lost.

Space–time coordination dynamics in basketball: Part 1. Intra- and inter-couplings among player dyads

Abstract We examined space–time patterns of basketball players during competition by analysing movement data obtained from six game sequences. Strong in-phase relations in the longitudinal (basket-to-basket) direction were observed for all playing dyads, especially player–opponent dyads matched for playing position, indicating that these movements were very constrained by the game demands. Similar findings for in-phase relations were observed for the most part in the lateral direction, the main exception being dyads comprising the two wing players from the same team. These dyads instead demonstrated strong attractions to anti-phase, a consequence perhaps of seeking to increase and decrease team width in tandem. Single instances from select dyads and game sequences demonstrated further evidence of phase stabilities and phase transitions on some occasions. Together, these findings demonstrate that space–time movement patterns of playing dyads in basketball, while unique, nonetheless conform to a uniform description in keeping with universal principles of dynamical self-organizing systems as hypothesized.

Analysis of contextual information sharing during table tennis matches: An empirical study of coordination in sports

Abstract This study examined contextual information sharing between table tennis players during competitive interaction (two opponents during singles) and cooperative interaction (two partners during doubles) in a study based on the notion of shared context (Salembier & Zouinar, 2000) and conducted within the semiological framework of the course‐of‐action (Theureau, 2003). Matches were videotaped and players’ verbalizations as they viewed the tapes were collected a posteriori. The analysis and comparison of their courses of action served to characterize the nature and content of the contextual information that was shared between the players during singles and doubles matches. The results revealed alternating forms of sharing (i.e., symmetrical sharing, asymmetrical sharing, and no sharing) and highlighted several processes for regulating contextual information sharing (i.e., inquiry, monitoring, displaying, masking, and focusing). The discussion is organized in three sections: (a) the changes in information that was shared between players during sports interactions, (b) the role of awareness during sports interactions, and (c) the relationship between information sharing and collective effectiveness during sports interactions

Description of dynamic shared knowledge: an exploratory study during a competitive team sports interaction

This exploratory case study describes the sharedness of knowledge within a basketball team (nine players) and how it changes during an official match. To determine how knowledge is mobilised in an actual game situation, the data were collected and processed following course-of-action theory (Theureau 2003). The results were used to characterise the contents of the shared knowledge (i.e. regarding teammate characteristics, team functioning, opponent characteristics, opposing team functioning and game conditions) and to identify the characteristic types of change: (a) the reinforcement of a previous element of shared knowledge; (b) the invalidation of an element of shared knowledge; (c) fragmentation of an element of shared knowledge; (d) the creation of a new element of shared knowledge. The discussion deals with the diverse types of change in shared knowledge and the heterogeneous and dynamic nature of common ground within the team. Statement of Relevance:The present case study focused on how the cognitions of individual members of a team coordinate to produce a team performance (e.g. surgical teams in hospitals, military teams) and how the shared knowledge changes during team activity. Traditional methods to increase knowledge sharedness can be enhanced by making use of ‘opportunities for coordination’ to optimise team adaptiveness.

Temporal Aspects of Team Cognition: A Case Study on Concerns Sharing Within Basketball

This case study investigated team cognition in basketball. The focus was on how concerns in a real match situation were shared among teammates and how the sharedness evolved. The activity of five basketball players (M age = 17.60, SD = 0.89) was studied. The data were collected and processed according to a procedure defined for course-of-action analysis (Theureau, 2003). The results indicated that the instances when all the teammates shared the same typical concern were relatively rare, but temporal analysis revealed two kinds of convergence phenomena (simultaneous and progressive). In conclusion, shared understanding emerged within this team as essentially “local sharing of understanding.”

Performance analysis in sport: Contributions from a joint analysis of athletes’ experience and biomechanical indicators

The purpose of this study was to test the usefulness of combining two types of analysis to investigate sports performance with the aim of optimizing it. These two types of analysis correspond to two levels of athletes’ activity: (a) their experiences during performance and (b) the biomechanical characteristics of their movements. Rowing served as an illustration, and the activity of one female crew member was studied during a race. Three types of data were collected: (a) audiovisual data recorded during the race; (b) verbalization data obtained in interviews conducted afterward; and (c) biomechanical data. The courses of experience of the two rowers during the race were reconstructed on the basis of the audiovisual and verbalization data. This paper presents a detailed analysis of a single phenomenon of the race experienced by one of the rowers. According to the coaches, it reflected a dysfunction in crew coordination. The aim of this analysis was to identify the biomechanical characteristics of the rowers’ movements that might explain it. The results showed that the phenomenon could be explained principally by an amplitude differential between the two rowers’ strokes. On this basis, the coaches defined new training objectives to remedy the dysfunction in crew coordination.

Construction of Trust Judgments within Cooperative Dyads.

Introduction: One of the aims of physical education (PE) is to develop social skills such as cooperation, teamwork, and mutual helping among students. Cooperation is a broad research topic, implicating several disciplines in the human sciences (e.g. psychology, sociology, linguistics, philosophy). It is also an important topic in various domains of practice like organizational management, ergonomics, sports performance, and PE and sports pedagogy. Studies in sport have shown that cooperation between partners is not automatically produced by the cooperative structure of the learning tasks. In this exploratory study, we focused on the links between cooperation and trust judgments about ones partner. We characterized the processes by which students construct trust judgments in dyadic cooperative interactions during climbing lessons. This study was carried out within the theoretical and methodological frameworks of the ‘course of action.’ Method: Two middle-school students in 10th-grade participated in this study. They formed a fixed dyad based on personal affinity. During the four climbing lessons under study, the students alternated the roles of climber and belayer. Their behaviors and communications were recorded on video and after each session they participated in self-confrontation interviews. From these data, we then reconstructed their courses of experience and focused particularly on preoccupations, meaningful elements in the situation, and mobilized knowledge. The elements contributing to the construction of the climbers trust judgments about his belayer were identified. Changes in these judgments were characterized in relation to the modes of cooperation between the students. Twenty-seven climbs were analyzed. Results and discussion: The results showed that the climbers trust judgments focused on two dimensions of the belayers activity: the reliability of both the belay and his advice for success in the task. To build these trust judgments, the climber combined knowledge about his belayer (the partners climbing skills, his mastery of safety techniques, his familiarity with the climbing equipment, and his typical attitudes in class) and interpretations of the events during belayer–climber cooperation (the attention shown by the partner, his requests for advice from other students, and the teachers interventions). Moreover, the results showed the relationship between the development of each students trust judgments about his partner and the positive and negative dynamics of cooperation between the students. Three typical connections were identified between the climbers trust judgments about his partner and the climbers involvement in cooperation. The results are discussed on the basis of two points: (a) the dynamic and composite character of the construction of trust judgments and (b) the construction of trust judgments as a condition for genuine cooperation between students. The students in the situation of climber displayed typical processes to build a trust judgment about their partner, and this trust judgment appears to be an important element in promoting and regulating cooperative interactions between students. Conclusions: We propose pedagogical perspectives for teachers with regard to understanding trust judgments in climbing and student cooperation. We also suggest new research perspectives with the objective of fully elucidating the dimensions of trust involved in cooperation.