Elastic Band Exercise to Improve Hip Strength and Agility in Young Basketball Players

Does Short-Term Eccentric Strengthening With Elastic Bands Improve Hip Adductor Strength in Young Basketball Players?

Here is the complete Brief Summary entry in a single paragraph, written in plain language, and excluding the study results (as requested), but maintaining academic rigor in describing the study design:

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of a 4-week short-term eccentric strengthening program using elastic bands on both hip adductor muscle strength and agility performance in young male basketball players. For this randomized controlled trial, twenty-one healthy young male athletes were separated by chance into two conditions: a training group, which performed the 4-week elastic band protocol in addition to their regular basketball training, and a control group, which engaged exclusively in their routine training. The primary measurements for comparison were maximal eccentric and isometric hip adduction strength (using a hand-held dynamometer) and the agility T-test. It is hypothesized that this targeted eccentric strengthening will lead to a significant enhancement of both hip adduction strength and overall athletic performance in the intervention group

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Healthy Participants; Eccentric Exercise Training; Strength Training Effects; Hip Adduction Strength; Strengthening Exercises
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Eccentric Hip Adductor Strengthening with Elastic Bands

Detailed Description

The incidence of lower-limb and groin injuries in professional basketball is significant, with weak hip adductor strength identified as a major risk factor. While eccentric strengthening programs have shown promise in athletic populations, there is a clear gap in the literature regarding the effectiveness of short-term hip-adduction strengthening using available tools like elastic bands in young basketball players. This study was thus designed as a rigorous randomized controlled trial to investigate this specific intervention.

This study was a 4-week Interventional Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) involving 21 healthy young male basketball players. Participants were recruited from a single sub-elite team and were excluded if they had any history of lower-limb injury (knee, hip, groin, lower back) in the preceding six months, or if they had performed any systematic hip adductor exercises during that period. Participants were randomized into two groups, paired based on their initial isometric hip adduction force. The Training Group (TG) conducted a supervised hip adduction protocol using Tuber-Band elastic bands. This program was performed 2-3 times per week for 4 weeks, in addition to their regular basketball training. The exercise involved a full range of motion in a standing position, incorporating three distinct contraction phases: a 3-second concentric contraction, a 2-second isometric hold, and a 3-second eccentric return phase. The load was individually adjusted to the 8-15 Repetition Maximum (RM) target to ensure progressive resistance throughout the program.

All measurements were performed pre- and post-intervention by an experienced rater. Primary outcome measures included maximal eccentric hip adduction strength (EHAD) and agility T-test time. Secondary outcome measures included maximal isometric hip adduction strength (IHAD) and isometric hip abduction strength (IHAB).

Strength was quantified using a hand-held dynamometer (HHD), performing a make test for isometric strength and a break test for eccentric strength. Agility was assessed objectively using photocell gates for the T-test. Data were analyzed using a 2×2 Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) with repeated measures (group × time) to assess training-related effects. Effect sizes (Cohen's d) were also calculated and reported.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 21
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Serbia
  • Niš, Serbia, 18000
    • Faculty of Sport and Physical Education

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Healthy young male basketball players.
• Must be a participant in a sub-elite basketball team.
• Age: 15-18 years

Exclusion Criteria:

• Injury and/or pain in the knee, hip, groin, and/or lower back within the last six months
• Previous history of hip-adductor exercises performed in the preceding six months

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Training group, Elastic Band Training Group, Eccentric Strengthening Group; Four-week eccentric and isometric hip-adduction training using elastic bands. Training sessions were supervised group sessions performed 2-3 times per week (2x/week in week 1; 3x/week in weeks 2-4) prior to regular basketball training. The exercise was performed in a standing position using elastic bands. Each repetition involved a 3-second concentric contraction, a 2-second isometric contraction, and a 3-second eccentric (hip-adduction) movement until full hip-abduction. The training load progressed from 3 sets of 15 RM in week 1, to 3 sets of 10 RM in weeks 2-3, and finally 3 sets of 8 RM in week 4. Both legs were trained	Behavioral: Eccentric Hip Adductor Strengthening with Elastic Bands; The training was performed in a standing position, focusing on eccentric hip adduction. The participant started from full hip-abduction. A single repetition consisted of a 3-second concentric contraction (adduction), followed by a 2-second isometric contraction, and then a 3-second eccentric movement (abduction) back to full hip-abduction, with a 2-second pause before the next repetition. The intervention spanned 4 weeks, with the training frequency and intensity progressively increasing. Load (elastic band resistance and fixation distance) was individually determined one week prior to the intervention based on repetition maximum (RM) sets. During Week 1, participants trained 2 times per week, performing 3 sets per leg at 15 RM. This progressed to 3 sessions per week for Weeks 2 and 3, with the load increasing to 10 RM (3 sets per leg). Finally, in Week 4, the frequency remained at 3 sessions per week, and the intensity was further increased to 8 RM (3 sets per leg).
No Intervention: Contro group (CG), Regular Training Control; The Control Group (CG) continued with their regular basketball training. This included five basketball training sessions and one competitive game per week, which was the same frequency as the training group.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Maximal Eccentric Hip Adduction Strength (EHAD)	Maximum force (in kilograms) produced during an eccentric contraction of the hip adductor muscles, measured using a hand-held dynamometer (HHD) in a side-lying position on the dominant leg.	Baseline (Pre-intervention) and 4 Weeks (Post-intervention)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Maximal Isometric Hip Adduction Strength (IHAD)	Maximum force (in kilograms) produced during an isometric contraction of the hip adductor muscles, measured using a hand-held dynamometer (HHD) in a supine lying position on the dominant leg.	Baseline (Pre-intervention) and 4 Weeks (Post-intervention)
Isometric Hip Abduction Strength (IHAB)	Maximum force (in kilograms) produced during an isometric contraction of the hip abductor muscles, measured using a hand-held dynamometer (HHD) in a supine lying position on the dominant leg.	Baseline (Pre-intervention) and 4 Weeks (Post-intervention)
Agility T-test Time	Time (in seconds) required to complete the Agility T-test, measured using photocell gates. The test involves a straight run, lateral shuffling, and hand-touching of cones.	Baseline (Pre-intervention) and 4 Weeks (Post-intervention)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Nebojša Trajković

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 10, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): February 10, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): March 1, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 12, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 12, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): February 19, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): February 19, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 12, 2026
• Last Verified: February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: resistance training; elastic band; hip adductor; lower limb muscle
• Other Study ID Numbers: 04-2059/3

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: Individual participant data (IPD) will not be shared with other researchers. All data used to generate the findings is already provided within the published manuscript and supplementary information files.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No