The main aim of this research was to evaluate the impact of the implementation of Fitlight technology in the process of sports training and motor assessment on the improvement in agility and reactive agility of junior basketball players. The age groups studied were under-14 (U14) and under-16 (U16). This study included 70 male basketball athletes, structured in two experimental groups: U14 (18 subjects) and U16 (17 subjects); two control groups: U14 (18 subjects) and U16 (17 subjects). Arithmetic averages of the anthropometric characteristics of the subject groups: experimental group U14: height 172.89 cm, weight 58.22 kg, BMI 19.56; control group U14: height 165.44 cm, weight 50.17 kg, BMI 18.53; experimental group U16: height 179.94 cm, weight 70.82 kg, BMI 20.35; control group U16: height 183.88 cm, weight 73.41 kg, BMI 20.83. An 18-week experimental program that integrates Fitlight technology in order to develop coordination and agility skills and corrective agility was implemented in the experimental groups. This study included six tests: T agility test, T agility test with ball, reactive T agility test, reactive T agility test with ball, Illinois agility test, and Illinois agility test with ball. The results of this study showed statistically significant progress between the initial and final testing for the experimental group, p < 0.05. The Cohen’s values of the experimental groups were above 0.8, which denotes a large effect size; for the control group, these sizes were small and medium. The comparative analysis of the experimental and control groups, U14 and U16, highlights significant statistical differences in favor of the experimental groups, for all the agility tests of this study. This study highlights the effectiveness of incorporating advanced training tools like Fitlight in sports training, particularly for young basketball players. This approach surpasses traditional methods in enhancing agility, suggesting a paradigm shift towards technology-integrated training in sports.
Our study aimed to improve the lower limbs’ simple and choice reaction times and reactive spatial orientation by practicing an experimental program using Fitlight technology in U14 and U16 junior basketball players. This research integrates three specific tests: the Lower Limb Reaction Test, the Lower Limb Choice Reaction Test, and the Spatial Orientation Reactive Test. These were designed to measure and improve players’ reactions to simple, choice, and spatial orientation through visual stimuli. An 18-week training program was implemented between the initial and final evaluation, emphasizing integrating basketball-specific technical and physical exercises using Fitlight technology. The subjects' sample consists of an experimental and control group with identical numbers of participants in both the U14 (18 subjects) and U16 (17 subjects) categories. SPSS was used for statistical analysis. The results indicate significant improvements with p < .05, Cohen’s d parameters with very high effect sizes (d > 1), in reaction times and spatial orientation for the experimental groups, highlighting the effectiveness of incorporating modern equipment in the sports training program. Analyzing the results of the experimental groups, we find that the most relevant age for the reactive development of spatial orientation with the help of Fitlight technologies implemented in the training process is U14, while the most relevant age for the reactive time of the lower limbs is U16. The study’s results highlight the experimental program’s positive impact in improving reactive reaction time in the lower limbs and spatial orientation of junior basketball players.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of implementing a basketball-specific exercise program using Fitlight technology on the coordinative abilities (reactive coordination, reactive reaction time, and reactive movement combination capacity) of U14 and U16 junior basketball players. This study included 70 male basketball players, 36 subjects U14 and 34 subjects U16, divided into two equal groups for each age category: the experimental group (EG) and the control group (CG). This study included an initial and a final test, between which, training was conducted over a period of 18 weeks. For the EG, the program aimed to develop coordinative abilities through an experimental program that utilized Fitlight technology, while the control groups underwent an identically timed program, but their training did not include the use of technology. Four tests were adapted and applied: the Reactive Reaction Test, Choice Reactive Reaction Test, Reactive Hand–Eye Coordination Test, and a test to evaluate the reactive capacity for combining movements. The results of this study showed statistically significant progress between the initial and final tests for the experimental group, p < 0.05. The Cohen’s d values for the experimental groups were above 0.8, indicating a very large effect size, while for the control group, these values were small to medium. The comparative analysis of the experimental groups U14 and U16 and control groups shows statistically significant differences in favor of the experimental groups U14 and U16. This study highlights the effectiveness of implementing specific training programs that use modern technologies in developing coordinative abilities in the training and evaluation process of junior basketball players.
Background: Smartphones are an integral part of young people’s everyday lives and offer an interactive digital environment that can be incorporated into sport training to support engagement and skill development. Methods: A total of 40 male basketball players aged 12–14 years participated in this quasi-experimental study. Participants were allocated by existing school teams, with one team assigned to the experimental group (n = 20) and the other to the control group (n = 20). Both groups completed a six-month training period consisting of three sessions per week. Hand–eye coordination and dribbling-related performance were evaluated using two standardized mobile-application-based field tests with both hands during initial and final assessments. The data were analyzed using mixed-design repeated-measures ANOVA, with time as the within-subject factor and group as the between-subject factor. Results: The mixed-design repeated-measures ANOVA showed significant time × group interactions for all assessed outcomes, indicating greater improvements in coordination performance and bilateral upper-limb performance in the experimental group compared with the control group. Conclusions: These results indicate that mobile-application-based training can be a practical and effective approach for developing coordination and supporting bilateral upper-limb performance in youth basketball players.
12 April 2024 in Health, Sports & Rehabilitation Medicine
Background: Reaction time is a key component in traditional karate performance, where fast and accurate responses to external stimuli are essential. Modern technologies such as Blazepod may support training by providing interactive and sport-specific reaction exercises. Objective: The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of implementing a specific exercise program using Blazepod technology to improve the reaction time of students practicing traditional karate. Results: The study included 40 participants aged up to 15 years, divided into a control group and an experimental group. An initial test and a final test were conducted, with a 12-week training period between them. The experimental group performed training sessions that included exercises with Blazepod technology, while the control group followed regular training without this technology. Five tests were used: two for the upper limbs, one assessing simple reaction time and one assessing choice reaction time, two with the same structure for the lower limbs, and one karate-specific complex reaction test involving upper-limb techniques specific to traditional karate. The results showed that both groups improved from initial to final testing, but the experimental group achieved greater reductions in reaction time across all five tests, with statistically significant advantages in the final assessment. Conclusions: The study demonstrates that training programs using Blazepod technology are effective in improving the reaction time of students practicing traditional karate.