Effects of a Six-Week Change-of-Direction Repeated Sprint Training Program on Explosive Power and Agility in Youth Basketball Players (COD-RST)

Effects of a 6-Week Change-of-Direction Repeated Sprint Training Program on Lower-Limb Explosive Power and Agility in Youth Basketball Players: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This randomized controlled study investigated the effects of a six-week change-of-direction repeated sprint training program on lower-limb explosive power and agility in youth basketball players. Repeated sprint ability and rapid changes of direction are essential physical performance components in basketball, as the sport requires frequent accelerations, decelerations, and multidirectional movements during gameplay.

Participants were randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group. The experimental group performed a structured change-of-direction repeated sprint training program in addition to their regular basketball training, while the control group continued their usual basketball training routines without the additional intervention. The training intervention lasted six weeks.

Before and after the intervention period, participants completed a series of performance tests designed to evaluate lower-limb explosive power and agility. These assessments allowed researchers to determine whether the additional sprint training program produced improvements beyond those achieved through routine basketball training.

The findings of this study aim to provide evidence regarding the effectiveness of change-of-direction repeated sprint training as a practical conditioning strategy for improving physical performance in youth basketball players.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Sprint Performance; Agility; Explosive Power
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Change-of-Direction Repeated Sprint Training

Detailed Description

Basketball is characterized by intermittent high-intensity actions such as sprinting, jumping, rapid accelerations, decelerations, and frequent changes of direction. These movement patterns place considerable demands on athletes' explosive power and agility. Therefore, training methods designed to improve repeated sprint ability and multidirectional speed are considered important components of basketball conditioning programs.

Change-of-direction repeated sprint training combines short-distance sprinting with rapid directional changes, simulating the movement demands commonly observed during basketball competition. Despite the practical relevance of this training approach, limited experimental evidence exists regarding its effects on lower-limb explosive power and agility in youth basketball players.

The purpose of this randomized controlled trial was to examine the effects of a six-week change-of-direction repeated sprint training program on physical performance parameters in youth basketball players. Participants were randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group. Both groups continued their regular basketball training programs, while the experimental group additionally performed a structured repeated sprint training program incorporating directional changes.

Performance assessments were conducted before and after the intervention period to evaluate lower-limb explosive power and agility. These assessments enabled the comparison of pre- and post-intervention performance changes between groups. The results of this study are expected to contribute to the development of evidence-based training strategies for improving physical performance in youth basketball athletes.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 20
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Turkey (Türkiye)
  • Battalgazi
    • Malatya, Battalgazi, Turkey (Türkiye), 44280
      • Inonu University, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Physical Education and Sport on Disabilities

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Male basketball players aged 18-19 years
• At least three years of basketball training experience
• Regular participation in team basketball training sessions
• Voluntary participation and provision of written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• Any musculoskeletal injury that could affect physical performance
• Failure to attend training sessions or testing procedures during the study period
• Withdrawal from the study before completion of the intervention

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Change-of-Direction Repeated Sprint Training; Participants in the experimental group continued their regular basketball training and additionally performed a six-week change-of-direction repeated sprint training program three times per week on non-consecutive days. Training sessions were performed at maximal intensity and included progressive sprint distances, repetitions, and sets.	Behavioral: Change-of-Direction Repeated Sprint Training; Change-of-direction repeated sprint training performed three times per week for six weeks in addition to regular basketball training. The program consisted of maximal sprints over distances ranging from 20 to 40 meters organized in 2 to 4 sets with 4 to 8 repetitions. Passive rest periods of 30 seconds were provided between repetitions and 4 minutes between sets.
No Intervention: Regular Basketball Training (Control); Participants in the control group continued their regular basketball training routines and did not perform any additional sprint-based training intervention during the six-week study period.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Countermovement Jump Height	Countermovement jump (CMJ) height will be measured in centimeters using an electronic jump mat system. Participants will perform two trials and the best performance will be recorded.	Baseline and 6 weeks
Squat Jump Height	Squat jump (SJ) height will be measured in centimeters using an electronic jump mat system. Participants will perform two trials and the best performance will be recorded.	Baseline and 6 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Sprint Performance (30-m sprint test)	Sprint performance will be assessed using a 30-meter sprint test. Sprint time will be recorded in seconds using an electronic timing system. Each participant will perform two trials and the best performance will be used for analysis.	Baseline and 6 weeks
Agility Performance (T-Agility Test)	Agility performance will be evaluated using the T-Agility Test. Participants will complete the test course as quickly as possible and completion time will be recorded in seconds using an electronic timing system.	Baseline and 6 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Inonu University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): October 2, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 2, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): December 20, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 10, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 13, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): March 17, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 17, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 13, 2026
• Last Verified: March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Athletic Performance; Agility Training; Basketball Players; Youth Athletes; Explosive Strength; Change of Direction; Repeated Sprint Training; Sprint Training
• Other Study ID Numbers: INU-RST-BASKET-2024; Ethics Committee Approval (Other Identifier: Inonu University Ethics Committee Approval No: 2024/6279)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: Individual participant data will not be publicly shared due to privacy considerations and the small sample size of the study. Aggregated data supporting the findings of this study are reported in the published manuscript. Additional information may be available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Drug and device information, study documents

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