The role of a training program based on fitness and athletics, to improve the cardiorespiratory fitness and agility to young basketball players during a 6 – month period

Abstract

The purpose of this research paper is to highlight the improved performance cardiorespiratory fitness and velocity at the young basketball players during a fitness and athletic program for a 6 month period, without changing the frequency and volume of the number of training sessions. This study involved 48 basketball players, part of the youth teams, regular participants in the national championship, where 25 of them were used for case study (intervention group) and 23 other as a control case (control group). The program proposed by this study consists in training with two training sessions (40 min) per week within technical tactical training sessions with a duration of 120 minutes (a- athletic program based on speed and coordination training with a duration of 10 minutes, b- fitness program based on force train
ing with a duration of 30 minutes). Measurements were taken before and after the program in these qualities: aerobic capacity (Ergometric bicycles): maximal absolute oxygen consumption (l/min) and relative oxygen consumption (ml/ kg/min), speed (straight running test - 10 and 20m), as well as coordination/agility (10 x 5m). ANOVA test (one way) 
followed by the detailed test LSD (post hoc) was used to compare the results of the difference between the control and intervention group in measurements before and after the intervention. The findings of our study support previous research and provide improvements in these variables: aerobic capacity, speed, coordination/ agility. Through our pro
gram which combined agility, fitness and athletic training, was made possible to register improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness and speed, as was measured with 2 tests before and post the program intervention.