Change-of-Direction Repeated Sprints in Adolescent Female Basketball Players

Effects of Changes of Direction on Repeated-Sprint Performance, Perceived Exertion, and Acute Cardiovascular Responses in Adolescent Female Basketball Players: A Randomized Crossover Study

The purpose of this randomized crossover study was to compare the acute effects of repeated-sprint protocols incorporating different numbers of 180-degree changes of direction in adolescent female basketball players. Twenty participants completed three exercise conditions in a randomized, counterbalanced order: 10 × 15-m linear sprints, 10 × 15-m sprints incorporating one 180-degree change of direction, and 10 × 15-m sprints incorporating two 180-degree changes of direction. Each sprint was followed by 30 seconds of passive recovery. Sprint performance, perceived exertion, heart rate, peripheral oxygen saturation, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure were assessed. The study examined whether increasing the number of changes of direction affected repeated-sprint performance and acute perceptual and cardiovascular responses.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Athletic Performance
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Linear Repeated-Sprint Protocol; Behavioral: One-COD Repeated-Sprint Protocol; Behavioral: Two-COD Repeated-Sprint Protocol

Detailed Description

This was an acute, randomized, counterbalanced, three-condition crossover study in which each participant completed all experimental conditions and served as her own control.

Following a standardized warm-up, participants completed one of three repeated-sprint protocols during each experimental condition: 10 × 15-m linear sprints without a change of direction, 10 × 15-m sprints incorporating one 180-degree change of direction, or 10 × 15-m sprints incorporating two 180-degree changes of direction. A 30-second passive recovery period was provided between repetitions. Total sprint distance, number of repetitions, and recovery duration were standardized across the three conditions; only the number of changes of direction differed.

Sprint times were recorded using electronic timing gates. Best, average, and worst sprint times were determined, and sprint decrement and the change from best to worst performance were calculated. Rating of perceived exertion was recorded after each protocol. Heart rate, peripheral oxygen saturation, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure were assessed immediately before and after each condition.

The experimental conditions were compared to determine whether increasing the number of 180-degree changes of direction altered absolute repeated-sprint performance, performance maintenance, perceived exertion, or immediate cardiovascular responses.

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

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Turkey (Türkiye)
  • Pamukkale
    • Denizli, Pamukkale, Turkey (Türkiye), 20000
      • Pamukkale University Sports Sciences and Technology Research and Application Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Female basketball players aged 16-18 years.
• Currently competing in the U16 or U18 basketball leagues in Denizli, Türkiye.
• At least two years of structured basketball training experience.
• Regular participation in at least three training sessions and one official match per week.
• No injury or illness that could prevent maximal sprint performance.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Reporting an injury before testing that could prevent maximal sprint performance.
• Failure to attend all testing sessions or complete all three experimental conditions.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Sequence 1: Linear-One-COD-Two-COD; Participants assigned to Sequence 1 completed the linear repeated-sprint condition during the first experimental session, the one-COD condition during the second session, and the two-COD condition during the third session. Consecutive sessions were separated by at least 48 hours.	Behavioral: Linear Repeated-Sprint Protocol; Following a standardized 20-minute dynamic warm-up, participants performed 10 maximal 15-m linear sprints without a change of direction. Each sprint began from a standing position 0.5 m behind the starting line and was recorded using electronic timing gates. A 30-second passive recovery period was provided between repetitions, during which participants remained standing.; Behavioral: One-COD Repeated-Sprint Protocol; Following a standardized 20-minute dynamic warm-up, participants performed 10 maximal 15-m repeated sprints. Each repetition consisted of 7.5 m of forward sprinting followed by one 180-degree change of direction and a 7.5-m return sprint. Each sprint began from a standing position 0.5 m behind the starting line and was recorded using electronic timing gates. A 30-second passive recovery period was provided between repetitions, during which participants remained standing.; Behavioral: Two-COD Repeated-Sprint Protocol; Following a standardized 20-minute dynamic warm-up, participants performed 10 maximal 15-m repeated sprints. Each repetition consisted of three consecutive 5-m sections and incorporated two 180-degree changes of direction. Each sprint began from a standing position 0.5 m behind the starting line and was recorded using electronic timing gates. A 30-second passive recovery period was provided between repetitions, during which participants remained standing.
Experimental: Sequence 2: One-COD-Two-COD-Linear; Participants assigned to Sequence 2 completed the one-COD repeated-sprint condition during the first experimental session, the two-COD condition during the second session, and the linear condition during the third session. Consecutive sessions were separated by at least 48 hours.	Behavioral: Linear Repeated-Sprint Protocol; Following a standardized 20-minute dynamic warm-up, participants performed 10 maximal 15-m linear sprints without a change of direction. Each sprint began from a standing position 0.5 m behind the starting line and was recorded using electronic timing gates. A 30-second passive recovery period was provided between repetitions, during which participants remained standing.; Behavioral: One-COD Repeated-Sprint Protocol; Following a standardized 20-minute dynamic warm-up, participants performed 10 maximal 15-m repeated sprints. Each repetition consisted of 7.5 m of forward sprinting followed by one 180-degree change of direction and a 7.5-m return sprint. Each sprint began from a standing position 0.5 m behind the starting line and was recorded using electronic timing gates. A 30-second passive recovery period was provided between repetitions, during which participants remained standing.; Behavioral: Two-COD Repeated-Sprint Protocol; Following a standardized 20-minute dynamic warm-up, participants performed 10 maximal 15-m repeated sprints. Each repetition consisted of three consecutive 5-m sections and incorporated two 180-degree changes of direction. Each sprint began from a standing position 0.5 m behind the starting line and was recorded using electronic timing gates. A 30-second passive recovery period was provided between repetitions, during which participants remained standing.
Experimental: Sequence 3: Two-COD-Linear-One-COD; Participants assigned to Sequence 3 completed the two-COD repeated-sprint condition during the first experimental session, the linear condition during the second session, and the one-COD condition during the third session. Consecutive sessions were separated by at least 48 hours.	Behavioral: Linear Repeated-Sprint Protocol; Following a standardized 20-minute dynamic warm-up, participants performed 10 maximal 15-m linear sprints without a change of direction. Each sprint began from a standing position 0.5 m behind the starting line and was recorded using electronic timing gates. A 30-second passive recovery period was provided between repetitions, during which participants remained standing.; Behavioral: One-COD Repeated-Sprint Protocol; Following a standardized 20-minute dynamic warm-up, participants performed 10 maximal 15-m repeated sprints. Each repetition consisted of 7.5 m of forward sprinting followed by one 180-degree change of direction and a 7.5-m return sprint. Each sprint began from a standing position 0.5 m behind the starting line and was recorded using electronic timing gates. A 30-second passive recovery period was provided between repetitions, during which participants remained standing.; Behavioral: Two-COD Repeated-Sprint Protocol; Following a standardized 20-minute dynamic warm-up, participants performed 10 maximal 15-m repeated sprints. Each repetition consisted of three consecutive 5-m sections and incorporated two 180-degree changes of direction. Each sprint began from a standing position 0.5 m behind the starting line and was recorded using electronic timing gates. A 30-second passive recovery period was provided between repetitions, during which participants remained standing.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Average Sprint Time	The mean completion time of the 10 maximal 15-m sprint repetitions, recorded using Witty electronic timing gates and expressed in seconds. The outcome was calculated separately for the linear, one-COD, and two-COD repeated-sprint conditions.	Throughout the 10-sprint protocol in each of the three experimental sessions, approximately 5 minutes per condition.
Best Sprint Time	The fastest completion time (lowest value) among the 10 maximal 15-m sprint repetitions, recorded using Witty electronic timing gates and expressed in seconds. The outcome was determined separately for the linear, one-COD, and two-COD repeated-sprint conditions.	During the 10-sprint protocol in each experimental session, approximately 5 minutes per condition.
Worst Sprint Time	The slowest completion time (highest value) among the 10 maximal 15-m sprint repetitions, recorded using Witty electronic timing gates and expressed in seconds. The outcome was determined separately for the linear, one-COD, and two-COD repeated-sprint conditions.	During the 10-sprint protocol in each experimental session, approximately 5 minutes per condition.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Sprint Decrement	The percentage reduction in performance across the 10 maximal sprint repetitions. Sprint decrement was calculated separately for each experimental condition using the following formula: Sdec (%) = ([sum of the 10 sprint times / (best sprint time × 10)] - 1) × 100. Higher values indicate a greater decline in repeated-sprint performance.	Calculated from the 10 sprint times recorded during each experimental session, approximately 5 minutes per condition.
Worst-to-Best Decrement	The percentage difference between the fastest and slowest sprint repetitions, calculated separately for each experimental condition using the following formula: [(worst sprint time - best sprint time) / best sprint time] × 100. Higher values indicate a greater decline from the best to the worst performance.	Calculated from the best and worst sprint times recorded during each experimental session, approximately 5 minutes per condition.
Rating of Perceived Exertion	Perceived exertion was assessed using the Borg category-ratio scale ranging from 0 to 10, where 0 represents rest and 10 represents maximal exertion. Participants rated the overall difficulty of each completed repeated-sprint condition.	Immediately after the post-exercise cardiovascular measurements following each of the three experimental conditions.
Heart Rate	Heart rate was measured using a Soulfix fingertip pulse oximeter placed on the index finger of the left hand. Values were recorded in beats per minute before and immediately after each repeated-sprint condition.	Immediately before and immediately after each of the three experimental conditions.
Peripheral Oxygen Saturation	Peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2) was measured using a Soulfix fingertip pulse oximeter placed on the index finger of the left hand. Values were recorded as a percentage before and immediately after each repeated-sprint condition.	Immediately before and immediately after each of the three experimental conditions.
Systolic Blood Pressure	Systolic blood pressure was measured on the left upper arm using an Omron M2 Essential automated digital blood-pressure monitor. Values were recorded in millimeters of mercury (mmHg) before and immediately after each repeated-sprint condition.	Immediately before and immediately after each of the three experimental conditions.
Diastolic Blood Pressure	Diastolic blood pressure was measured on the left upper arm using an Omron M2 Essential automated digital blood-pressure monitor. Values were recorded in millimeters of mercury (mmHg) before and immediately after each repeated-sprint condition.	Immediately before and immediately after each of the three experimental conditions.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Pamukkale University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Engin Güneş Atabaş, PhD, Pamukkale Üniversitesi

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 2, 2026
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 21, 2026
• Study Completion (Actual): May 21, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 22, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 22, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): July 27, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 27, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 22, 2026
• Last Verified: July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Perceived Exertion; Crossover Study; Adolescent Athletes; Change of Direction; Cardiovascular Responses; Repeated-Sprint Ability; Female Basketball Players
• Other Study ID Numbers: PAU-COD-RSA-2026-01

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 because participant consent did not include public data sharing and the dataset contains information from adolescent participants. De-identified aggregate data may be made available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request and subject to institutional and ethical approval.

Drug and device information, study documents

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