Effect of Weekly Plyometric Training Frequency on Youth Female Basketball Players: A Comparison of Two vs. Four Sessions

Players performed two jumps for each protocol, with one minute of rest provided between trials and three minutes of rest between protocols. The best result was recorded for analysis.

In the HJ, a metric tape was used to measure the length between the players' starting position and the nearest point of landing contact (i.e., the back of the heels). The players begin standing with their toes positioned against a marker. Players initiated the jump with countermovement and arm swing, jumping horizontally as far as possible and landing on both feet. The jump was invalid if the players did not land properly on their feet or fell back.

Players performed two jumps [19] for each protocol, with one minute of rest provided between trials and three minutes of rest between protocols. The best result was recorded for analysis. CMJ height was calculated with an Optojump system (Microgate, Bolzano, Italy). For the CMJ, participants began by standing upright. Upon readiness, the athlete squatted down until the knees were bent at a 90-degree angle and then immediately executed a vertical jump as high as possible. Throughout the test, participants kept their hands on their hips[20].

Players performed two jumps [19] for each protocol, with one minute of rest provided between trials and three minutes of rest between protocols. The best result was recorded for analysis. DJ height were calculated with an Optojump system (Microgate, Bolzano, Italy).

The optimal DJ height was determined in the initial familiarization session. Following preliminary pilot testing, each player performed three DJs from two heights (90 and 110 cm) with 1-min intervals. The highest jump height/contact time ratio was considered the optimal height. In the DJ, the players drop from the optimal with one foot, landing with 2 feet simultaneously, and then immediately perform a maximal jump [21]. The RSI was calculated by dividing flight time (ms) by contact time (ms) [22].

The RSI was calculated by dividing flight time (ms) by contact time (ms) [22].

Participants performed two 20-m sprints (with 5-m split time also recorded), with at least three minutes of rest between them. The fastest performance trial was used for data analysis. During the recovery period between sprints, the participants returned to the starting line and waited for the second trial. Sprint times were recorded with electronic photocells (Timing-Radio Controlled; TTSport, San Marino, CA, USA) placed 5-m- and 20-m from the starting line. Players were instructed to start the sprints from a line set 0.3-m behind the start line and to run as quickly as possible through the final pair of sensors [19]. During each trial, players were also verbally encouraged to produce their maximal effort.

Participants performed two 20-m sprints (with 5-m split time also recorded), with at least three minutes of rest between them. The fastest performance trial was used for data analysis. During the recovery period between sprints, the participants returned to the starting line and waited for the second trial. Sprint times were recorded with electronic photocells (Timing-Radio Controlled; TTSport, San Marino, CA, USA) placed 5-m- and 20-m from the starting line. Players were instructed to start the sprints from a line set 0.3-m behind the start line and to run as quickly as possible through the final pair of sensors [19]. During each trial, players were also verbally encouraged to produce their maximal effort.

The players performed the CODS [23] test to measure the change of direction ability. The players performed two trials separated by three minutes of rest. The fastest of the two trials was used for analysis. Single-beam measure were taken using electronic photocells (Timing-Radio Controlled; TTSport, San Marino, CA, USA) which is previously validated system [24], positioned 3 meters apart and located on either side of the start and finish lines. All photocells were mounted at a height of 1 m above the floor, the maximum height of the manufacturer's standard tripods. The players started the trials from a line placed 0.3-m behind the start line. During each trial, players were strongly verbally encouraged to produce their maximal effort.