Abstract
Background: Basketball necessitates high-intensity, intermittent efforts with multidirectional and unpredictable movements, requiring training strategies that enhance players' physical capacity to meet these demands efficiently. This study aimed to examine the effects of a velocity-based curve differential sprinting training on the overall performance of young male basketball players. Methods: A total of 24 participants were tested for single- and double-legged counter-movement jump (CMJ) height, 10 m linear sprint time, and agility performance in a pre-post-retention test design. The 12-week intervention consisted of two weekly sessions with differential sprint training in addition to normal basketball training. Sessions consisted of two sets of ten 20 m sprints whereby participants were instructed to perform additional fluctuations in joints velocity for each repetition. Results: Results show strong evidence for H(1) (significant effect) for the experimental group in CMJ height (right leg) (BF(10) = 19.24) between pre-, post-, and retention test values (BF(10) = 10.24-17.85). For the remaining variables, no significant differences were observed. In contrast, the control group showed no significant effects including sprinting variables, indicating limited training effects. Conclusions: In conclusion, this research found that the 12-week differential curve sprinting training improved physical performance in the CMJ for the experimental group. Therefore, adding velocity-based random fluctuations during curve sprint training could be an effective training strategy for enhancing jumping performance in youth basketball players, which should encourage practitioners to implement different variations of the differential training approach.