A Systematic Review on the Physical, Physiological, Perceptual, and Technical–Tactical Demands of Official 3 × 3 Basketball Games

To systematically review the physical, physiological, perceptual, and technical–tactical demands of official 3 × 3basketball games. Methods: The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelineswere followed. Three electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science) were systematically searched to identifystudies assessing physical, physiological, perceptual, and technical–tactical demands of 3 × 3 games. Data were also codedaccording to player sex and tournament phase. Quality assessment of the included studies was performed using a modified Downsand Black checklist. Results: Thirteen articles were finally included, with a mean quality of 8.6 (1.1) out of 11. Three-by-threebasketball games have an intermittent profile (1:1 work–rest ratio), with a duration of ∼15 minutes, and are characterized by short(6–8 s) ball possessions and considerable physical (17–33 accelerations, 24–44 decelerations, 62–94 changes of directions, and17–24 jumps per game) and physiological (lactate: ∼6.2 mmol·L−1) demands. Overall, the game performance profile is similar inmales and females, with minor changes happening across tournament phases. Several key technical–tactical indicators wereidentified as discriminating winning and losing teams, such as better shooting and defensive efficiency, low number of turnovers,and implementing tactical actions involving more players, passing first, and ending possessions with shots from outside of thearch from the top of the key. Conclusions: Three-by-three basketball is an intermittent, physically demanding sport characterizedby quick plays and specific tactical constraints. This review provides information that should be considered by performance staffto improve training prescription, game tactical plans, and for player selection and talent identification.