Abstract
The aim of this study was to compare the effects of 2 training interventions based
on small-sided games (SGG) and high-intensity interval training (HIT) on physical
and technical performance of male junior basketball players. A secondary objective
was to investigate if these effects were similar in starting and bench players. 18
players participated in a pre-testing session, 6-weeks intervention period and a post-testing
session. Pre- and post-sessions involved assessments of aerobic fitness, repeated
sprint ability (RSA), defensive and offensive agility, upper and lower body power,
shooting and passing skills. Mixed-design analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Bonferroni
corrected pairwise comparisons examined the effects of time and type of intervention
on physical and technical performances. The main results showed that both interventions
resulted in similar improvements in aerobic capacity (+3.4% vs. +4.1%), with greater
improvements in bench players compared to starting players (+7.1% vs. +1.1%, P<0.05).
However, RSA was unchanged after both interventions. In addition, compared to HIT,
SSG resulted in greater improvements in defensive agility (+4.5% vs. −2.7%, P<0.05),
shooting skills (+7.4% vs. −2.4%, P<0.05) and upper body power (+7.9% vs. −2.0%, P<0.05).
These results suggest that SSG should be prioritized in physical conditioning of junior
basketball players during the season. However, when RSA is targeted, more specific
training seems necessary.
Key words
passing - repeated sprint - agility - explosive power - shooting
