Balance and postural control in basketball players

The effects of functional training on physical fitness and skill-related performance among basketball players: a systematic review

Background: Evidence suggests that functional training (FT) positively impacts physical fitness and sports performance. However, a systematic review addressing the effects of FT on basketball players remains absent. This systematic review aims to explore the influence of FT on physical fitness and skill-related performance in basketball players. Methods: We searched six databases: Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), EBSCOhost, and Google Scholar. The search utilized a combination of keywords related to FT, physical fitness, and basketball. The Eligibility Criteria of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA 2020) guidelines were followed in this systematic review. Results: 11 studies were ultimately included in this review, collectively recruiting 333 basketball players. These studies demonstrated that FT significantly improved muscle strength, linear speed, cardiovascular endurance, flexibility, balance, and muscular endurance. However, the effects of FT on power, change-of-direction speed, and basketball-related performance were inconsistent. Most studies showed FT significantly improves these three variables, but a small number of studies did not find positive effects of FT using specific tests including standing long jump, Sargent jump, touch high, lane agility, lateral shuffle, dribbling line drill, and free-throw tests. Conclusion: FT is an effective training method for enhancing physical fitness including muscle strength, linear speed, cardiovascular endurance, flexibility, balance, and muscular endurance. However, the effects of FT on power, change-of-direction speed, and basketball-related performance were divergent. Some tests were not improved after FT potentially due to the short program lengths and training session durations, varied athletic levels of players examined, and different foci of the FT exercises administered. The collective evidence suggests FT programs, especially the specific exercises prescribed, should be tailored to the desired training objectives. More studies investigating the effects of FT on physical fitness and basketball-related performance with established tests are encouraged in the future to expand the current evidence base. Systematic Review Registration: https://inplasy.com/, Identifier INPLASY202360072.

Acute Exposure to Normobaric Hypoxia Impairs Balance Performance in Sub-elite but Not Elite Basketball Players

Although high and simulated altitude training has become an increasingly popular training method, no study has investigated the influence of acute hypoxic exposure on balance in team-sport athletes. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate whether acute exposure to normobaric hypoxia is detrimental to balance performance in highly-trained basketball players. Nine elite and nine sub-elite male basketball players participated in a randomized, single-blinded, cross-over study. Subjects performed repeated trials of a single-leg balance test (SLBT) in an altitude chamber in normoxia (NOR; approximately sea level) with FiO₂ 20.9% and PiO₂ ranging from 146.7 to 150.4 mmHg and in normobaric hypoxia (HYP; ~3,800 m above sea level) with FiO₂ 13.0% and PiO₂ ranging from 90.9 to 94.6 mmHg. The SLBT was performed three times: 15 min after entering the environmental chamber in NOR or HYP, then two times more interspersed by 3-min rest. Peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO₂) and heart rate (HR) were recorded at four time points: after the initial 15-min rest inside the chamber and immediately after each SLBT. Across the cohort, the balance performance was 7.1% better during NOR than HYP (P < 0.01, ηp2 = 0.58). However, the performance of the elite group was not impaired by HYP, whereas the sub-elite group performed worse in the HYP condition on both legs (DL: P = 0.02, d = 1.23; NDL: P = 0.01, d = 1.43). SpO₂ was lower in HYP than NOR (P < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.99) with a significant decline over time during HYP. HR was higher in HYP than NOR (P = 0.04, ηp2 = 0.25) with a significant increase over time. Acute exposure to normobaric hypoxia detrimentally affected the balance performance in sub-elite but not elite basketball players.

Effects of bodyweight neuromuscular training with and without instability on balance control in active universitarians

The purpose of this study was to analyse the effects of a nine-week unstable vs stable bodyweight neuromuscular training programme on balance control. Seventy-seven physically active universitarians were randomly distributed into an unstable training group (UTG), a stable training group (STG), and a control group (CG). The intervention was conducted three times a week for nine weeks. Pre- and post-intervention assessments included static balance control under an unstable surface (eyes open (EOFS), eyes closed (ECFS), challenging visual-vestibular system (CVVS)), assessed as centre-of-pressure fluctuations with a force plate. A mixed ANOVA was performed to test the within- and between-subjects factors. After the intervention, no significant differences were found between groups. All groups presented significant improvements in balance measurements in EOFS (p = 0.01), ECFS (p = 0.01; p = 0.02), and CVVS (p = 0.01) conditions. The training groups tended to have significantly better balance control (antero-posterior) than the CG on EOFS. In the CVVS condition, the UTG tended to have better balance control than the CG. There was no overall significant training advantage gained by using unstable or stable surfaces in terms of the improvement in static balance control in active universitarians. Both training groups exhibited similar training adaptations.

Effect of Instability and Bodyweight Neuromuscular Training on Dynamic Balance Control in Active Young Adults

The aims of this study were to analyse the effects of unstable and stable bodyweight neuromuscular training on dynamic balance control and to analyse the between-group differences after the training period. Seventy-seven physically active young adults (48 males, 29 females, 19.1 ± 1.1 years, 170.2 ± 9.2 cm, 64.1 ± 10.7 kg) were distributed into an unstable training group (UTG), a stable training group (STG), and a control group (CG). Training was conducted three times a week for nine weeks. Pre-intervention and post-intervention measures included dynamic balance control using a Y Balance Test (YBT), anterior (A), posteromedial (PM), and posterolateral (PL) reach direction. A mixed ANOVA was executed to test the within-subjects factor and the between-subjects factor. Statistically significant differences were found for all YBT measures within groups (p = 0.01) and between groups (p = 0.01). After the intervention, UTG and STG presented meaningfully improved results in all YBT measures (A: 7%, p = 0.01; 4%, p = 0.02, PM: 8%, p = 0.01; 5%, p = 0.01, PL: 8%, p = 0.01; 4%, p = 0.04, respectively). No statistical changes were found for any of the measures in the CG. After the intervention, significant differences were observed between the UTG and CG for the YBTA and PM (p = 0.03; p = 0.01). The results suggest that neuromuscular training using an unstable surface had similar effects on dynamic balance control as training using a stable surface. When compared to CG, UTG showed better performance in YBTA and PM.