Analysis of coordinated group behavior based on role-sharing: Practical application from an experimental task to a 3-on-3 basketball game as a pilot study

A human group shares a common goal and distributes roles to implement activities that are difficult to accomplish alone and higher performance than an individual. In such coordination, nonverbal behavior among three or more members makes it difficult to explain the mechanism because of complex and dynamic interactions. In cognitive science, a crucial role is indicated, which intervenes moderately with others and adjusts the whole balance without interrupting their main smooth interactions, using an experimental task. It suggests that the third role and related playing supports to coordination. This is similar to off-ball movements in team sports, which are not involved directly with the ball and are focused on mainly in sports science because common statistical data do not reflect. A new perspective for discussing coordination has arisen because existing theories, such as synchronization, cannot explain the mentioned role; however, there is room for its usefulness. Therefore, this study applied the experimental findings to the sports field. We designed a 3-on-3 basketball game in which the relevant offensive role is key and introduced it to the practice of the university team as a pilot study. Participants repeatedly engaged in the mini-game, and the playing on the offensive team was compared before and after receiving tips on this role. Consequently, in the bins of the relatively large distance between the participant required in this role and each defensive player, the frequencies after the tips were significantly higher, and the winning rate on the offensive team improved temporarily. It suggests that the spacing skill, which indicates a reasonable distance for intervening with the other offensive players, emerged. This study may provide findings that satisfy usefulness and ecological validity, and make an educational contribution about giving the tips of off-ball movements.