ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Sport Psychology
The Effects of Stroboscopic Visual Training on Coordination, change-of-direction Agility, and Decision-Making Performance in Collegiate Basketball Players
月 李 1
Shuairan Li 2
Jielinn Yang 3
Yuerong Hao 4
1. School of Physical Education and Sports，SHENZHEN UNIVERSITY OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, SHENZHEN, China
2. Sports Coaching College, Beijing Sport University, ,, Beijing, China
3. School of Physical Education, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
4. school of physical education, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
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Abstract
Objective: This study investigated the effects of stroboscopic visual training (SVT) combined with basketball-specific training (ST) on coordination, change-of-direction (COD), and decision-making performance in collegiate basketball players. Methods: 42 male collegiate basketball players (aged 18–25) were classified as Tier 2 (National Level) and randomly assigned to one of three groups: SVT combined with basketball-specific training (SVT+ST, n = 14), basketball-specific training alone (ST, n = 14), and regular training (RT, n = 14). Intervention effects were evaluated using the Harre Circuit Coordination Test, the 505 Change-of-Direction Speed Test, and a 3D Tactical Animation Decision-Making System. The SVT+ST group performed ST while wearing stroboscopic glasses with progressively increasing difficulty. The ST group underwent identical drills without visual disruption, and the RT group continued with routine basketball training. The intervention lasted eight weeks, with three 40-minute sessions per week. Results: Significant TIME × GROUP effects were observed. In the coordination test, completion time (p = 0.011, ηp² = 0.207) and errors (p < 0.01, ηp² = 0.488) improved, with SVT+ST demonstrating greater gains than ST and RT (completion time: p = 0.013, d = 0.763, large; errors vs RT: p < 0.01, d = 4.009). In the 505 COD test, significant effects were identified for completion time (p < 0.001, ηp² = 0.69) and asymmetry (p < 0.001, ηp² = 0.43), favoring SVT+ST (completion time vs ST and RT: p < 0.001, d = 3.943, large; asymmetry vs RT: p < 0.001, d = 2.074, large). For decision-making, TIME × GROUP effects were also observed for decision time (DT), motor-execution time (MET), decision accuracy (DA), and the cognitive–motor efficiency index (CMEI) (DT: p < 0.001, ηp² = 0.43; MET: p < 0.001, ηp² = 0.49; DA: p < 0.001, ηp² = 0.48; CMEI: p < 0.001, ηp² = 0.79), with SVT+ST outperforming ST and RT (DT: d = 1.909, large; MET vs RT: d = 2.102, large; DA: d = 2.341, large; CMEI: d = 3.221, large; all p < 0.001). Conclusion: Integrating SVT with basketball-specific training significantly improved coordination, COD, and decision-making performance in collegiate male basketball players.
Summary
Keywords
basketball-specific training, Collegiate athletes, coordination, Decision-making performance, Reactive agility, Stroboscopic visual training
Received
19 November 2025
Accepted
31 January 2026
Copyright
© 2026 李, Li, Yang and Hao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Jielinn Yang; Yuerong Hao
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