Methodology and Content for the Design of Basketball Coach Education Programs: A Systematic Review

Josep Alemany-Iturriaga^1,2,3*Julio Calleja-Gonzalez⁴Jeisson Mosquera-Maturana⁵Álvaro Velarde-Sotres^6,7,8

• ¹Facultad de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, Universidad Europea del Atlántico, Santander, Spain
• ²Departamento de Ciencias de Lenguaje, Educación y Comunicaciones, universidad Internacional Iberoamericana, Arecibo, Puerto Rico
• ³Universidad de La Romana, La Romana, Dominican Republic
• ⁴Department of Physical Education and Sport, Faculty of Education and Sport, University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain
• ⁵Universidad Europea del Atlántico, Santander, Spain
• ⁶Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Europea del Atlántico, Santander, Spain
• ⁷Departamento de Salud, Universidad Internacional Iberoamericana, Campeche, Campeche, Mexico
• ⁸Faculdade de Ciências de Saúde, Universidade Internacional do Cuanza, Cuito, Angola

The increasing complexity of basketball and the need for optimal decisionmaking in order to maximize competitive performance highlight the necessity of specialized training for basketball coaches. This systematic review aims to compile, synthesize, and integrate international research published in specialized journals on the training of basketball coaches and students, examining their characteristics and needs. Specifically, it analyzes the content, technical-tactical actions, and methodologies used in practice and education programs to determine which essential parameters for their technical and tactical development.Methods: A structured search was carried out following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA ® ) guidelines and the PICOS® model until January 30, 2025, in the MEDLINE/PubMed, Web of Science (WOS), ScienceDirect, Cochrane Library, SciELO, EMBASE, SPORTDiscus, and Scopus databases. The risk of bias was assessed and the PEDro scale was used to analyze methodological quality.Results: A total of 14090 articles were obtained in the initial search. After inclusion and exclusion criteria, the final sample was 23 articles. These studies maintained a high standard of quality. This revealed data on the technical-tactical actions addressed in different categories; the profiles, characteristics, and influence of coaches on player development; and the approaches, teaching methods, and evaluation methodologies used in acquiring knowledge and competencies for the professional development of basketball coaches.Conclusions: Adequate theoretical and practical training for basketball coaches is essential for player development. Therefore, training programs for basketball coaches must integrate technical-tactical, physical, and psychological knowledge with the acquisition of skills and competencies that are refined through practice. This training should be continuous, more specialized, and comprehensive, focusing on understanding and constructing knowledge that supports the professional growth of basketballers. Additionally, training should incorporate digital tools and informal learning opportunities, with blended learning emerging as the most effective methodology for this purpose.