Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Hand preference can be influenced by some factors like sensory information and sports participation. In many sports, it is
always desirable to have the similar performance of both hands to adapt to the fast changes of the game. Elite basketball players use their left
non-dominant hand more accurately and more frequently during the game compared to amateurs. However, there is no quantitative data to
explain this phenomenon. The aim of the study was to test whether participation of long-term basketball training influences interlimb difference
and also observed more accurate and more frequent usage of the non-dominant hand in basketball players that can be explained by some
kinematic variables during an aiming task.
METHODS: Professional right-handed female basketball players and age-matched non-athletes were asked to reach one of three targets in a
virtual reality environment setup with either their non-dominant or dominant hand. Two kinematic parameters depicting motor performance
asymmetries were measured: accuracy and hand path deviation from linearity (HPDL).
RESULTS: No interlimb differences for basketball players but significant asymmetrical performance for non-athletes were observed. Although
the aiming task used in this study is not a basketball specific task, basketball players still displayed better performance compared to non-athletes
in both accuracy and HPDL.
CONCLUSIONS: The current study implies that not only sensorimotor information but also participation of long-term sports activity can modify
interlimb difference. Moreover, basketball players having symmetrical motor performance of both hands, which was found in this study, can
indirectly explain the more frequent usage of the non-dominant left hand in basketball players.
