Effects of high-intensity interval training on strength, speed, and endurance performance among racket sports players: A systematic review.

This study aims to present a critical review of the existing literature on the effects of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) on strength, speed, and endurance performance among racket sports athletes. This study conducted a systematic literature review by PRISMA guidelines. Various well-known academic and scientific databases were used for research collection, including PubMed, EBSCOhost, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Out of 27 relevant studies, 10 were selected for inclusion in this systematic review, all meeting the required inclusion criteria. The quality of each study was assessed using the PEDro scale, with scores ranging from 3 to 5 for the selected studies. HIIT was found to improve racket players' VO2 max (maximum oxygen uptake), running and repetitive sprint performance, jumping performance, and hitting speed during play. Current findings indicate that HIIT can significantly benefit athletic performance. Long-term HIIT allows athletes to enhance their power while improving crucial variables related to both aerobic and anaerobic endurance. This anaerobic endurance and explosive power type is particularly vital for racket sports players. For example, athletes in table tennis and badminton must exert maximum effort during high-intensity middle and back-court play. Racket athletes also need to maintain a stable state while preserving ball speed and positioning, and must quickly recover to prepare for the next rally. This training mechanism can assist athletes in honing their skills and achieving more efficient hitting quality. Therefore, this paper recommends that racket sports athletes incorporate HIIT into their regular training routines. The suggested frequency is three times per week, with each training session lasting 30-40 minutes, and a total duration of six to eight weeks. Trial registration. Systematic Review Registration: [https://inplasy.com/], identififier[INPLASY20230080].

Does Motor Imagery Training Improve Service Performance in Tennis Players? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Motor imagery training is a common mental strategy used by tennis players and coaches to improve learning and performance; however, the effect of motor imagery training on service performance in tennis players is questionable. This review aims to consolidate existing research regarding the effects of motor imagery training on the service performance of tennis players. A systematic search was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines, using PubMed, Web of Science, SCOPUS, and SPORTDiscus to identify articles published until December 2023. Eligible studies comprised controlled trials that investigated the impact of motor imagery on service performance outcomes in tennis players. The methodological quality of individual studies was assessed using the Cochrane RoB-2 and ROBINS-I tools. GRADE was applied to assess the certainty of the evidence. Nine trials including 548 participants met the inclusion criteria. The results indicated that motor imagery training improved service accuracy and technique but did not affect service speed or return accuracy in tennis players. In conclusion, the certainty of the evidence that motor imagery training may be effective in improving service accuracy and technique in tennis players is low to very low. However, more experimental work is needed to obtain stronger conclusions.

Effects of plyometric training on skill-related physical fitness in badminton players: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Skill-related physical fitness significantly correlates with sports performance. Plyometric training (PT) is an effective method for improving physical fitness in athletes. However, its impact on skill-related physical fitness in badminton players remains uncertain. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of PT on skill-related physical fitness in badminton players. Five electronic databases (Web of Science, PubMed, SCOPUS, MEDLINE, and SPORTSDiscus) were searched until February 2024. A PICOS approach was used to identify inclusion criteria, (1) healthy badminton players, (2) a PT program, (3) an active control group, (4) a measure of skill-related physical fitness before and after PT, and (5) randomized controlled studies. The PEDro scale was used to assess the methodological quality of PT studies, while the level of evidence certainty was determined through the GRADE framework. The calculation of effect sizes (ESs) was based on mean values and standard deviations, and heterogeneity was measured with the I2 statistic. The extended Egger's test was employed to check for publication bias. Eleven studies comprising 445 badminton players were eligible for inclusion. The analysis revealed significant small-to-moderate effects of PT on power (ES = 0.60, p < 0.001), agility (ES = 0.96, p < 0.001), speed (ES = 0.63, p = 0.001), and balance (ES = 0.89; p = 0.013). However, no significant effect was observed for reaction time (ES = 0.56; p = 0.189). The certainty of evidence for outcomes was graded as either low or very low. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate that PT improved power, agility, speed, and balance, but not reaction time in badminton players. However, the small number of studies and the very low to low certainty evidence mean that these results need to be interpreted with caution.

Active video games for improving health-related physical fitness in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The global population is experiencing a rapid rise in the quantity and percentage of older people. In an effort to enhance physical activity among older adults, active video games (AVGs) are being suggested as a compelling alternative and are currently under scrutiny to evaluate their efficacy in promoting the health of older people. Objective: This review aims to synthesize current studies and formulate conclusions regarding the impact of AVGs on the health-related physical fitness of older adults. Methods: Seven databases (PubMed, Web of Science, SCOPUS, SPORTDiscus, EMBASE, MEDLINE, and CINAHL) were searched from inception to January 21, 2024. Eligible studies included randomized controlled trials examining the effect of AVGs compared to control conditions on health-related physical fitness outcomes in older adults. The methodological quality of the included trials was assessed using the PEDro scale, and the certainty of evidence was evaluated using the GRADE approach. A random-effects model was used to calculate effect sizes (ES; Hedge's g) between experimental and control groups. Results: The analysis included 24 trials with a total of 1428 older adults (all ≥ 60 years old). Compared to controls, AVGs produced significant increases in muscular strength (moderate ES = 0.64-0.68, p < 0.05) and cardiorespiratory fitness (moderate ES = 0.79, p < 0.001). However, no significant effects were found for body composition (trivial ES = 0.12-0.14; p > 0.05) and flexibility (trivial ES = 0.08; p = 0.677). The beneficial effects of AVGs were greater after a duration of ≥ 12 vs. < 12 weeks (cardiorespiratory fitness; ES = 1.04 vs. 0.29, p = 0.028) and following ≥ 60 minutes vs. < 60 minutes of session duration (muscular strength; ES = 1.20-1.24 vs. 0.27-0.42, p < 0.05). Conclusion: AVGs appear to be an effective tool for enhancing muscular strength and cardiorespiratory fitness in older adults, although their impact on improving body composition and flexibility seems limited. Optimal improvement in cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with a longer duration of AVGs (≥ 12 weeks). Moreover, a session duration of ≥ 60 minutes may provide greater benefits for the muscular strength of older adults. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=482568, identifier CRD42023482568.

Effects of plyometric training on health-related physical fitness in untrained participants: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Plyometric training (PT) is an effective training method for improving physical fitness among trained individuals; however, its impact on health-related physical fitness in untrained participants remains ambiguous. Therefore, this meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effects of PT on health-related physical fitness among untrained participants. Six electronic databases (PubMed, CINAHL Plus, MEDLINE Complete, Web of Science Core Collection, SCOPUS, and SPORTDiscus) were systematically searched until March 2024. We included controlled trials that examined the effects of PT on health-related physical fitness indices in untrained participants. Twenty-one studies were eligible, including a total of 1263 participants. Our analyses revealed small to moderate effects of PT on body mass index, muscular strength, cardiorespiratory fitness, and flexibility (ES = 0.27-0.61; all p > 0.05). However, no significant effects were detected for body fat percentage and lean mass (ES = 0.21-0.41; all p > 0.05). In conclusion, the findings suggest that PT may be potentially effective in improving health-related physical fitness indices (i.e., body mass index, muscular strength, cardiorespiratory fitness, and flexibility) in untrained participants. However, the results should be interpreted cautiously due to data limitations in some fitness variables.

Effects of plyometric training on measures of physical fitness in racket sport athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Over the past decade, the popularity of racket sports has surged. Plyometric training (PT) has been the focus of extensive research because of the proven benefits it provides to athletes. However, there is a lack of systematic reviews and meta-analyses specifically evaluating the impact of PT on physical fitness metrics in racket sport athletes. This study aimed to conduct a comprehensive review and analysis of evidence derived from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to evaluate the effects of PT on measures of physical fitness among racket sports athletes. Methods: The electronic databases PubMed, Web of Science, SCOPUS, and SPORTDiscus were systematically searched up to June 2023 without placing any restrictions on the publication dates. The PICOS method was adopted to establish the inclusion criteria: (a) healthy athletes who participate in racket sports; (b) a PT program; (c) a control group; (d) assessment of physical fitness components pre- and post-PT; and (e) RCTs. The records' methodological quality was assessed utilizing the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale. The certainty in the evidence related to each outcome was evaluated using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) assessment. A random-effects model was used to calculate effect sizes (ES; Hedges' g) between experimental and control groups. Results: There were 14 eligible studies of moderate-to-high-quality, involving 746 athletes in total. The results revealed small-to-moderate effects (p < 0.05) of PT on muscle power (ES = 0.46), muscle strength (ES = 0.50), sprint speed (ES = 0.45), change of direction ability (ES = 0.76), and reaction time (ES = 0.67), while no clear evidence was found on balance and flexibility. The training-induced changes in muscle power showed no significant difference (p > 0.05) between youth (ES = 0.72) and adults (ES = 0.40). There were also similar muscle power improvements (ES = 0.36-0.54 vs 0.38-0.56, all p > 0.05) for a length of ≤7 weeks with ≤14 total PT sessions vs >7 weeks with >14 total PT sessions, and ≤2 weekly sessions vs >2 sessions. No adverse effects were reported in the included studies regarding the PT intervention. The certainty of evidence varied from very low to moderate. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrated that PT has positive effects on important indices of physical fitness among athletes participating in racket sports. Future studies are required to clarify the optimal doses and examine interactions among training variables to further promote the physical fitness of this specific population.

Effects of plyometric training on technical skill performance among athletes: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The literature has proven that plyometric training (PT) improves various physical performance outcomes in sports. Even though PT is one of the most often employed strength training methods, a thorough analysis of PT and how it affects technical skill performance in sports needs to be improved. METHODS: This study aimed to compile and synthesize the existing studies on the effects of PT on healthy athletes' technical skill performance. A comprehensive search of SCOPUS, PubMed, Web of Science Core Collection, and SPORTDiscus databases was performed on 3rd May 2023. PICOS was employed to establish the inclusion criteria: 1) healthy athletes; 2) a PT program; 3) compared a plyometric intervention to an active control group; 4) tested at least one measure of athletes' technical skill performance; and 5) randomized control designs. The methodological quality of each individual study was evaluated using the PEDro scale. The random-effects model was used to compute the meta-analyses. Subgroup analyses were performed (participant age, gender, PT length, session duration, frequency, and number of sessions). Certainty or confidence in the body of evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE). RESULTS: Thirty-two moderate-high-quality studies involving 1078 athletes aged 10-40 years met the inclusion criteria. The PT intervention lasted for 4 to 16 weeks, with one to three exercise sessions per week. Small-to-moderate effect sizes were found for performance of throwing velocity (i.e., handball, baseball, water polo) (ES = 0.78; p < 0.001), kicking velocity and distance (i.e., soccer) (ES = 0.37-0.44; all p < 0.005), and speed dribbling (i.e., handball, basketball, soccer) (ES = 0.85; p = 0.014), while no significant effects on stride rate (i.e., running) were noted (ES = 0.32; p = 0.137). Sub-analyses of moderator factors included 16 data sets. Only training length significantly modulated PT effects on throwing velocity (> 7 weeks, ES = 1.05; ≤ 7 weeks, ES = 0.29; p = 0.011). The level of certainty of the evidence for the meta-analyzed outcomes ranged from low to moderate. CONCLUSION: Our findings have shown that PT can be effective in enhancing technical skills measures in youth and adult athletes. Sub-group analyses suggest that PT longer (> 7 weeks) lengths appear to be more effective for improving throwing velocity. However, to fully determine the effectiveness of PT in improving sport-specific technical skill outcomes and ultimately enhancing competition performance, further high-quality research covering a wider range of sports is required.

Gender-Specific Patterns of Muscle Imbalance in Elite Badminton Players: A Comprehensive Exploration.

The high-intensity demands of overhead sports exert significant stress on the bilateral shoulder complex, triggering adaptive kinematics and a distinct strength imbalance between internal and external rotators. The imbalance being referred to in the given statement poses a potential risk for humeral head displacement and puts nearby tendons under tension, heightening the vulnerability to injury. This study aims to assess muscle imbalances in badminton athletes. The first hypothesis (H1) suggests that there are differences in internal and external shoulder rotation movements between dominant and non-dominant segments in badminton players. The second hypothesis (H2) proposes that there are variations in muscle imbalances based on gender among elite badminton players. The objectives are to analyze these differences and explore potential gender-related variations in muscle imbalances. The study seeks to contribute to the understanding of muscle imbalances in badminton athletes and potentially guide training and injury prevention strategies in the sport. Using a cutting-edge Hand-Held Dynamometer (HHD), a cohort of 30 elite badminton players underwent an assessment to uncover any bilateral shoulder rotation strength imbalances during a challenging five second isometric maximum contraction. The participants boasted an average age of 17.4 years and a mean playing experience of 7.23 years. The study revealed a notable difference in the ratio of external and internal strength between the dominant and non-dominant shoulders (p = 0.000). This discrepancy amounted to a striking 27.93% muscle imbalance in external rotation/internal rotation strength ratios, favoring the dominant shoulder. Moreover, gender-specific differences were detected, with male players exhibiting a 24.54% muscle imbalance in favor of the dominant shoulder, while female players showcased a more substantial 31.33% imbalance (p = 0.000). In light of these findings, it became evident that elite badminton players possess considerably stronger dominant shoulders compared with their non-dominant counterparts. Furthermore, the study revealed that male players experience less muscular imbalance than their female counterparts.

Effects of physical training programs on female tennis players' performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Tennis is among the world's most popular and well-studied sports. Physical training has commonly been used as an intervention among athletes. However, a comprehensive review of the literature on the effects of physical training programs on female tennis players' performance is lacking. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the effects of physical training on performance outcomes in female tennis players. Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted on Web of Science, PubMed, SPORTDicus, Scopus, and CNKI from inception until July 2023 to select relevant articles from the accessible literature. Only controlled trials were included if they examined the effects of physical training on at least one measure of tennis-specific performance in female tennis players. The Cochrane RoB tool was employed to assess the risk of bias. The CERT scale was used to examine the quality of program information. The GRADE approach was adopted to evaluate the overall quality of the evidence. The Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software was used for the meta-analysis. Results: Nine studies were selected for the systematic review and seven for the meta-analysis, totaling 222 individuals. The study's exercise programs lasted 6-36 weeks, with training sessions ranging from 30 to 80 min, conducted one to five times per week. Muscle power (ES = 0.72; p = 0.003), muscle strength (ES = 0.65; p = 0.002), agility (ES = 0.69; p = 0.002), serve velocity (ES = 0.72; p = 0.013), and serve accuracy (ES = 1.14; p = 0.002) demonstrated significant improvement following physical training, while no notable changes in linear sprint speed (ES = 0.63; p = 0.07) were detected. Conclusion: Although research on physical training in sports is diversified, studies on training interventions among female tennis players are scarce. This review found that existing training programs yield some favorable outcomes for female tennis players. However, further research with high methodological quality is warranted on the tailoring of specific training programs for female tennis players. There should be more consistent measuring and reporting of data to facilitate meaningful data pooling for future meta-analyses.

Effects of Combined Upper and Lower Limb Plyometric Training Interventions on Physical Fitness in Athletes: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis.

Objective: We aimed to meta-analyze the effects of combined upper and lower limb plyometric training (ULLPT) on physical fitness attributes in athletes. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in Web of Science, SPORTDiscus, PubMed, and SCOPUS, for up to 13 August 2022. Controlled studies with baseline and follow-up measures were included if they examined the effects of ULLPT on at least one measure of physical fitness indices in athletes. A random effects meta-analysis was performed using the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software. Results: Fifteen moderate-to-high-quality studies with 523 participants aged 12−22.4 years were included in the analyses. Small to large (ES = 0.42−1.66; p = 0.004 to <0.001) effects were noted for upper and lower body muscle power, linear sprint speed, upper and lower body muscle strength, agility, and flexibility, while no significant effects on static and dynamic balance were noted (ES = 0.44−0.10; all p > 0.05). Athletes' sex, age, and training program variables had no modulator role on the effects of ULLPT in available data sets. Conclusions: ULLPT induces distinct neuro-muscular adaptations in the upper and lower body musculature and is an efficient method for enhancing athletes' physical fitness.

Effects of plyometric training on skill and physical performance in healthy tennis players: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Plyometric training (PT) has been researched extensively in athletic populations. However, the effects of PT on tennis players are less clear. Methods: We aim to consolidate the existing research on the effects of PT on healthy tennis players' skill and physical performance. On 30th May 2022, a comprehensive search of SCOPUS, PubMed, Web of Science, and SPORTDiscus (via EBSCOhost) databases was performed. PICOS was employed to define the inclusion criteria: 1) healthy tennis players; 2) a PT program; 3) compared a plyometric intervention to a control group or another exercise group, and single-group trials; 4) tested at least one measures of tennis skill or physical performance; and 5) non-randomized study trials and randomized control designs. Individual studies' methodological quality was evaluated by using the Cochrane RoB-2 and ROBINS-I instruments. Using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE), the certainty of the body of evidence for each outcome was assessed, and Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software was employed for the meta-analysis. Results: Twelve studies comprising 443 tennis players aged 12.5-25 years were eligible for inclusion. The PT lasted from 3 to 9 weeks. Eight studies provided data to allow for the pooling of results in a meta-analysis. A moderate positive effect was detected for PT programs on maximal serve velocity (ES = 0.75; p < 0.0001). In terms of measures of physical performance, small to moderate (ES = 0.43-0.88; p = 0.046 to < 0.001) effects were noted for sprint speed, lower extremity muscle power, and agility. While no significant and small effect was noted for lower extremity muscle strength (ES = 0.30; p = 0.115). We found no definitive evidence that PT changed other parameters (i.e., serve accuracy, upper extremity power and strength, reaction time, and aerobic endurance). Based on GRADE, the certainty of evidence across the included studies varied from very low to moderate. Conclusion: PT may improve maximal serve velocity and physical performance components (sprint speed, lower extremity muscular power, and agility) for healthy tennis players; however, more high-quality evidence about the effects of PT on the skill and physical performance of tennis players merits further investigation. Systematic Review Registration: [https://inplasy.com/], identifier [INPLASY202250146].