Background
Basketball is a sport characterized by intermittent bouts of high-intensity activity (e.g., jumping, sprinting, shuffling, and changing directions) repeated over a prolonged period of time (3,44).
It involves both aerobic and anaerobic energetic processes (58). Hence, to play successfully, basketball players must possess optimally developed physical fitness in multiple dimensions, including aerobic capacity, anaerobic power, upper-body and lower-body power, agility, and core muscle endurance (2,9,10,22). In addition to a high level of physical fitness, basketball players must possess excellent techniques such as shooting, jumping, passing, and dribbling.
Shooting accuracy is one of the most important techniques that determine the successful playing of basketball (25,49). Previous studies have shown that shooting accuracy is a crucial factor distinguishing between winning and losing basketball teams (48,59). Consequently, identifying the training method that can be more effective in developing multiple physical fitness dimensions and shooting accuracy in basketball players is important.
Interval training is the most common conditioning method and the most recommended training method in basketball (54). Interval training can effectively improve both anaerobic and aerobic energy supplying systems significantly (56) and has been confirmed to be an effective training method for improving aerobic capacity in basketball players (21). Shuttle run (SR) training is one of the most common interval training methods in basketball (63). It was demonstrated that SR (180° directional changes) induces an increase in metabolic, cardiorespiratory, neuromuscular and perceptual responses compared with straight-line runs and repeated sprints (4,13,16,24,26,29). The psychophysiological responses with ratings of perceived exertion are about 0.8–8.0 and blood lactate values are about 0.8–9.7 mmol·L−1
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increase with the time spent accelerating at each turn increased by frequency of directional change and speeds of SR at 2.50, 3.25 and 4.00 m·s−1 (4). Shuttle run interval training has been demonstrated to be effective in improving oxidative capacity and reducing lactate accumulation in young basketball players (63). However, this type of running training is designed to primarily train the lower-body (leg) musculature (45), and it does not train the total-body musculature such as the trunk/core and upper-body musculature effectively. Moreover, depending on the speed and landing geometry, running causes impact forces that vary in magnitude, from approximately 1.5–5 times body weight, and last for a very brief period (<30 ms) (30). Thus, running training may be not the optimal method to enhance multiple physical fitness dimensions and total-body muscle capacity in basketball players, particularly players with lower extremity injury or a high risk of injury.
Battle rope (BR) interval training is a low-impact, total-body, and intense metabolic modality (17,27,53). In recent years, its popularity has increased in various populations, from general health and fitness trainees to professional athletes (52). This exercise involves total-body muscle activity; the muscle activity for anterior deltoid, external oblique, and lumbar erector spinae (double-arm waves and alternating waves) ranges from 51% maximum voluntary isometric contractions (MVIC) to 73% MVIC, whereas gluteus medius muscle activity is 14%–
18% MVIC (17). Battle rope exercise commonly uses ropes of 12–15 m in length, 3–5 cm in diameter, and 9–16 kg in weight (27,35,41) and is normally performed at maximal speed during a given time, allowing a high number of repetitions and resulting in a vigorous cardiovascular workout (27,52,53). The acute cardiovascular stimulus provided by BR exercise is even greater than that provided by traditional resistance exercises (with a load of 75% of 1-repetition maximum) (52). Battle rope training improves multiple physical fitness dimensions and total-body muscle capacity, including aerobic capacity (8,35), muscular endurance (upper-total-body and trunk) (41), and power (lower-body) (8). It may be a highly effective method by which
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basketball players can enhance multiple aspects of physical fitness (aerobic, upper-body anaerobic power, upper- and lower-body power, agility, and core muscle capacity) and shooting accuracy. Therefore, this study (Study 1) explored the effects of BR interval training on multiple physical fitness dimensions and on shooting accuracy in elite college basketball players and compared these effects with those of regular training (SR, interval training).
Although BR training has been used to improve performance in basketball players, the acute effect of BR exercise on players’ upper- and lower-body muscle performance and shooting technique remains unclear. To our knowledge, only one study (46) has investigated the acute effects of BR exercise on muscular endurance. In the study, maximal push-up and sit-up tests were administered after BR exercise. The results indicated fatigue effects on upper-body and abdominal muscle performance after 5 minutes of BR exercise (46). However, the study (46) recruited recreationally active university students rather than trained basketball players and used a 15-minute BR exercise involving 2 BR exercises (double-arm waves and alternating waves), which may not provide sufficient training load or diversity for trained basketball players. Additionally, the measured muscular endurance may not be the most critical performance metric for basketball training. Explosive power performance is vital for basketball players (64). Therefore, the basketball chest pass test, which measures upper-body power, and the counter movement jump (CMJ) test, which measures lower-body power, are frequently used to assess athletic performance abilities in basketball players (47). Shooting, an critical skill, is also usually analyzed; shooting accuracy in competitive basketball play is related to players’
ball toss distance and jump height capacities (47).
The effects of BR exercises require further study to determine their effects on various muscle groups and basketball players’ technical shooting performance. This information may have crucial implications for determining the objective of in-court basketball practice if a BR
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exercise session is performed immediately beforehand. Some semiprofessional teams or teams that travel regularly may not have the opportunity to execute strength and conditioning protocol in the morning and complete basketball practice in the afternoon; therefore, they generally execute these two training components sequentially (28). Conditioning protocols may be determined according to practice goals, which vary. If the objective of a practice is to develop or strengthen technical skills under fatiguing conditions, conditioning protocols causing acute performance decrements and fatigue, which commonly occur during competitions, may be suitable before practice (28). Contrastingly, before a tactical session or game, conditioning protocols that prevent acute performance decrements may be more appropriate (28). However, no study on basketball chest pass speed, CMJ height, and shooting accuracy in college basketball players after a BR exercise session has been previously reported. Therefore, this study (Study 2) evaluated the effect of BR exercise on basketball players’ shooting accuracy, basketball chest pass speed, and CMJ height. Moreover, players’ variations in blood lactate levels, rating of perceived exertion (RPE), and perceived muscle soreness were also measured.
Purposes
Study 1
This study investigated whether BR training enhances multiple physical fitness dimensions, including aerobic capacity, upper-body anaerobic power, upper-body and lower-body power, agility, and core muscle endurance, and shooting accuracy in basketball players and compared its effects with those of regular training (SR, interval training).
Study 2
This study investigated the acute effects of BR exercise on basketball players’ performance, blood lactate levels, RPE, and perceived muscle soreness.
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