The influence of selected cognitive abilities on the efficiency of basketball players.

The aim of this study was to examine the influence of certain cognitive abilities on the shooting efficiency and overall efficiency of professional basketball players. The research was conducted on 48 professional basketball players who played in the last season of the Serbia and Montenegro league. The minimal conditions the players had to fulfill in order to be included in the research were the following: that they participated in at least 12 games (of 22), spent at least five minutes on the court per game, and that they had at least two field shots and two free throws per game. Independent variables were acquired by using five tests of cognitive abilities (the Domino test D-48, P1, S1, F1 and F2), and the dependent variables were the data on the situation efficiency of basketball players when shooting (efficiency of field shots, free throw efficiency, average points per game and index of efficiency). A poor/moderate correlation between three independent variables: general intelligence, perceptive identification and perceptive analysis and logical conclusions and the dependent variable index of efficiency was determined. The regression analysis by using a stepwise algorithm of variable selection obtained a significant influence of only one independent variable perceptive analysis and logical conclusions on only one dependent variable index of efficiency. In basketball practice it is necessary to create training so as to provide encouragement for the development and improvement of basketball players' cognitive abilities to increase their overall performance.