Current applications of virtual reality in basketball training: a systematic review

The application of virtual reality has shown potential in many endurance or aerobic sports. However, there is a lack of systematic reviews on the application of virtual reality in skill-based sports such as basketball. This systematic review aims to comprehensively review the existing approaches of virtual reality application in basketball training specifically and discuss their respective effectiveness in improving basketball performances. This systematic review also aims to explore if virtual reality is useful in basketball training and the most optimal way to incorporate virtual reality into basketball training. Scopus and PubMed are the only databases searched. The results were screened to identify relevant, original studies that directly applied virtual reality technology to basketball training for improving performance. Thirty-three articles are identified and included in this systematic review. The studies identified mainly focus on three different areas of basketball training, namely tactical training, shooting training, and ankle stability training, as well as the technicalities of application in basketball training. The findings reveal that virtual reality can be superior to the conventional training or real-life basketball training. The main benefits of virtual reality training include increased motivation and the access to training remotely. Optimal ways of introducing virtual reality training to basketball training as well as recommendations for coaches and future directions for researchers are also suggested.