Referees', coaches', and experts' opinions on the utilisation of the rules in the teaching-learning process of mini-basketball

Rules affect the technical-tactical elements since they establish the limits on the players' actions in relation to the ball and the rest of the players. However, there are very few references that discuss this topic. Thus, it was decided to get familiar with the opinions of experts, referees, and coaches regarding the utilisation of the rules and regulations at the mini-basketball stage. The sample was made up of 9 subjects who were interviewed: three coaches, three referees, and three experts. All had university degrees and certification from the federation as well as experience in the mini- basketball division. The instrument that was used was the semi-structured interview. The Delphi method was followed for the design of the interview, and 5 university professors participated in selecting the dimensions and questions. After the definitive composition and the pilot study, the various professionals from the sample were contacted and interviewed. The content of the interviews was recorded and transcribed. The coding was done by four researchers, and the reliability was assured by the Kappa index, of which the mean index was K = .78. The analysis was done with MXQDA 10 and SPSS 20. The participants insist on the importance of teaching the rules to the players when they begin playing basketball, given that this learning allows them to understand the internal logic of the game. Further, they explain the need for this relationship in the learning process and it even opens up the possibility for programming around the rules, given that they are what give the game and its technical-tactical elements meaning.