Does Dehydration alter the Success Rate and Technique of Three-Point Shooting in Elite Basketball?

In order to better inform the effects of dehydration and hydration guidelines, we tested the acute effects of a 2% dehydration protocol on performance and technique of 3-point shooting (3PS) in Elite Basketball players (n = 9). The 3PS technique was monitored by using nanotechnology inertial measurement units positioned onto body joints during the exercise. When dehydrated (−2.1 ± 0.5% of body mass), 7 players experienced a slight decrease (−10.0 ± 19.6%, p = 0.16) in success rate, while RPE increased from 9.1 ± 2.6 to 13.0 ± 2.5 in euhydrated (EUH) and dehydrated (DEH) condition respectively (p = 0.003). DEH slightly altered the 3PS technique as the knee angle increased (p = 0.02) at toe-off time and the hip angle decreased during the 3PS (p = 0.01). The speed of ball release tended to be increased (p = 0.05) in DEH compared to EUH. Data from this study suggest that a 2% dehydration is tolerable for elite Basketball players, although a stronger dehydration might accentuate the effects observed.