Enrique Flórez-Gil

The use of ergogenic aids, particularly polyphenols such as 2S-hesperidin, has gained attention due to their potential to enhance exercise performance, although evidence in team sports and female athletes remains limited. This study aimed to investigate the acute effects of 2S-hesperidin (Cardiose^®) supplementation on physical performance and external and internal load during basketball-specific activity in female basketball players. A randomized, cross-over, single-blind design was employed in twelve competitive female players (age: 21.4 ± 2.2 years; Tier 3–4) who ingested 500 mg of 2S-hesperidin or placebo five hours before standardized testing and on-court practice. Physical performance was assessed through handgrip strength, countermovement jump (CMJ), drop jump (DJ), sprint, agility, and the 30–15 intermittent fitness test (30–15 IFT), while external and internal load variables were monitored during a standardized on-court practice designed to reflect the players’ typical training routine. In these exploratory analyses, differences favoring the 2S-hesperidin condition were observed for dominant handgrip strength, CMJ height, DJ height in the dominant leg, and end speed in 30–15 IFT , whereas no clear differences were observed in sprint, agility, or reactive strength index. External load variables showed no clear differences between conditions. Mean heart rate was lower in the supplementation condition, although this isolated finding should be interpreted cautiously in view of the small sample and the number of outcomes examined. Overall, the observed pattern suggests that acute 2S-hesperidin supplementation may be associated with selected neuromuscular and intermittent performance responses, without clear changes in external load. Given the small sample size and multiplicity of outcomes, these findings should be regarded as exploratory and hypothesis-generating rather than as confirmatory evidence of an ergogenic effect.

This chapter examines how physical activity (PA) recording technologies (e.g., accelerometers, pedometers, smart bracelets, and positioning systems) can support curriculum implementation in Physical Education from a universal perspective. International curricula converge around shared principles, including motor competence, physical literacy, health promotion, formative assessment, and inclusive practice. Within this framework, PA monitoring technologies provide valid and reliable data that help operationalize these curricular aims by making movement and effort visible and interpretable for both teachers and students. The chapter highlights the educational value of these technologies as tools for enhancing formative assessment, self-regulation, and motivation when embedded within coherent pedagogical designs. Evidence indicates that wearable-supported interventions can contribute to improvements in PA levels and to deeper understanding of concepts such as intensity, effort, and personal progress. Importantly, these tools also enable differentiated instruction and ipsative assessment, supporting inclusive and equity-oriented curricular approaches. Finally, the chapter discusses implications for teachers and curriculum design, emphasizing that educational impact depends on pedagogical mediation rather than on technology alone. Teachers play a central role in translating data into learning, while curricula should integrate these tools flexibly and ethically to align instructional practice with international policy priorities promoted by UNESCO and the World Health Organization.

Aerobic conditioning represents a fundamental component of health-related fitness and a key educational outcome in early childhood and primary Physical Education (PE). Beyond its association with present and future health, aerobic conditioning supports children’s capacity to participate, persist, and learn effectively in movement-based activities. Conventional approaches to assessing cardiorespiratory fitness provide only episodic and context-limited information, offering restricted pedagogical feedback and limited integration within regular PE lessons. In contrast, wearable and mobile technologies enable continuous, lesson-integrated evaluation of intensity, duration, and recovery responses during authentic PE activities. This chapter presents a pedagogical-applied framework for evaluating aerobic conditioning in early childhood and primary education using technology. The chapter describes the main types of sensors and data acquisition methods feasible in school contexts, explains how raw data are processed into interpretable variables, and discusses key variables for evaluating aerobic conditioning in children together with their pedagogical implications. An in-school case study illustrates practical implementation, and the chapter concludes with applications for PE researchers and teachers, emphasizing formative assessment, inclusivity, and ethical data use.

Background: Basketball is an intermittent sport characterized by repeated high-intensity efforts interspersed with periods of active recovery. The physical and cognitive demands of the sport expose its players to multiple sources of stress, which may be associated with alterations in sleep and, in turn, with changes in athletic performance. The aim of this systematic review was to synthesize available evidence on whether stress-related sleep disturbances are associated with changes in specific performance factors in basketball players. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus (January 2010–July 2025). Studies assessing stress, sleep, and at least one performance-related outcome in basketball players were included. Methodological quality and risk of bias were assessed using the Oxford Levels of Evidence and design-specific critical appraisal tools for observational and non-randomized studies. Due to methodological heterogeneity, no meta-analysis was performed, and a qualitative descriptive synthesis was performed. The review protocol was registered in PROSPERO (registration number: 1185938). Of the 202 records identified, 23 remained after screening, and 14 met the inclusion criteria and were included in the qualitative synthesis, requiring the assessment of stress, sleep, and performance outcomes in basketball players. Results: Most included studies reported associative relationships between competition or training-related stress and reduced sleep quality or duration, as well as alterations in selected basketball performance outcomes. Across studies, patterns emerged linking elevated competitive and personal stress, insufficient sleep and recovery outcomes, and performance-related changes, despite substantial variability in study design and measurement approaches. Conclusions: Overall, the evidence suggests that basketball-specific performance factors may be sensitive to stress-related sleep disturbances. These associative patterns underscore the importance of considering psychological well-being, recovery strategies, and sleep management in applied basketball contexts. Rather than supporting prescriptive intervention models, the findings highlight the value of integrated monitoring approaches that combine stress, sleep, and performance assessment to support player readiness and performance outcomes.

Purpose : This study investigated the warm-up practices implemented by strength and conditioning coaches in basketball prior to practices and games. Methods: A total of 88 strength and conditioning coaches from 19 countries, representing leagues such as the NBA, Women’s NBA, Euroleague, and International Basketball Federation, completed a semistructured online survey comprising 15 questions. The survey explored various aspects of warm-up routines, including objectives, components, duration, methods, and equipment used. Data were stratified by team gender and competition level. Results: The most frequently reported warm-up objectives were injury prevention (83%), general physical preparation (80.7%), and increasing body temperature (69.3%). Prepractice warm-ups most commonly lasted between 10 and 15 minutes (48.9%), whereas pregame warm-ups lasting more than 30 minutes were reported by 38.6% of coaches in men’s teams and 44.4% in women’s teams. Strengthening exercises were the most frequently included component, appearing in 93.2% of prepractice and 84.1% of pregame routines. Basketball-specific drills were predominantly used in pregame warm-ups (92%). A mixed approach combining individual and group exercises was the most commonly adopted format (80.7%). In addition, 82.6% of coaches reported using a variety of equipment including resistance bands and foam rollers. Conclusions: The findings highlight current warm-up practices employed in basketball settings, underlining the importance of developing structured and context-specific protocols that balance performance optimization and injury prevention. These results provide practical implications for strength and conditioning coaches and serve as a foundation for future research on warm-up strategies in basketball.

The physical demands of modern basketball require precise and specific planning to prepare players in the best possible way. This planning sometimes includes holiday breaks or forced rest periods during the season, which can negatively impact physical performance. This study analyzed the effects of a two-week training break on countermovement jump (CMJ) and 10-meter sprint speed in 67 female basketball players (senior, U18, U14). Participants were evaluated before and after periods of inactivity and categorized based on their initial performance in each test. The results showed a significant decrease in CMJ (p < 0.05) across all categories, while sprint speed showed no significant differences (p > 0.05). Additionally, players with higher jumping ability also experienced losses, suggesting that a higher initial performance does not protect against declines in physical performance. These findings highlight the importance of designing physical maintenance strategies during inactivity periods to minimize performance losses in female basketball players, regardless of their category.

This study aimed to analyse the anthropometric characteristics of female basketball players, focusing on competitive level and specific playing position. The sample included 62 female basketball players from teams across all senior women’s basketball leagues in Spain, (1st to 4th division). Different anthropometric measurements were evaluated to evaluate body composition and somatotype. Significant differences emerged between competitive levels, with higher-level players showing more favourable results in some measures. Furthermore, a distinctive profile was identified based on playing position: centers were generally taller, heavier and had higher percentages of body fat and muscle mass compared to forwards and guards. This study provides valuable information on the physical attributes of female basketball players across competitive levels, improving knowledge of the demands of current women’s basketball.

This study leverages physical fitness assessment sensors to investigate the effects of a brief in-season break (detraining period) on the physical performance of female basketball players. Sixty-seven players (Senior (n = 19), U18 (n = 19), and U14 (n = 29)) were evaluated before and after a 3-week break using sensor-derived data from a countermovement jump (CMJ), an Abalakov jump (ABK), a linear speed test (20 m sprint), a seated medicine ball throw test (SMBT), and a Basketball-Specific Agility Test (TEA-Basket). The Total Score of Athleticism (TSA), computed as the mean Z-Score across tests, served as a composite indicator of physical fitness. Data obtained from performance sensors revealed significant interactions between time and category for the CMJ, ABK, 20 m sprint, and SMBT, while TEA-Basket measurements showed no significant changes. Time and baseline fitness level interactions were also significant for the CMJ, ABK, and SMBT but not for sprint time or the TEA-Basket. Despite observed declines in explosive strength, speed, and upper-body power across all groups, TSA scores remained stable. These findings underscore the utility of sensor-based evaluation methods in highlighting the adverse effects of short-term detraining and emphasize the necessity of tailored training strategies during competitive breaks.

This study assessed the effectiveness of re-warm-up strategies in counteracting performance declines in non-starter female basketball players during prolonged inactivity. Fifteen elite youth players (16.7 ± 0.6 years) participated in a crossover study comparing four re-warm-up protocols following a standardized warm-up. Performance was measured immediately after warm-up and 15-min post re-warm-up using the counter-movement jump (CMJ), drop jump (DJ), and 5-0-5 change of direction test (CODs). Prolonged inactivity (CON) significantly decreased CMJ and DJ height (p < 0.001) and slowed CODs times (p = 0.019). Plyometric re-warm-up (PLY) preserved CMJ, DJ, and CODs performance (p > 0.05), while dynamic stretching (DYN) and passive heat maintenance (TOW) maintained DJ and CODs (p > 0.05) but reduced CMJ (p < 0.001). ANCOVA revealed a significant effect of re-warm-up strategies on CMJ (F = 20.71, p < 0.001, ηp² = 0.54), with post hoc tests showing PLY was superior to other protocols (p < 0.001). These findings emphasize the effectiveness of plyometric strategies in maintaining physical performance during inactivity. Tailored protocols considering individual needs and basketball-specific demands can enhance player readiness and team success.

Basketball demands a sophisticated blend of tactical, technical, physical, and psychological skills, and various methods have been proposed to prepare players for these demands, including resistance training to enhance strength, power, speed, agility, and endurance. Complex training (CT) integrates diverse strength training methodologies by combining heavy-resistance exercises (e.g., squat at 90% of one repetition maximum) with high-velocity movements or plyometrics, both sharing the same biomechanical pattern. However, the optimal application of CT in basketball remains uncertain due to diverse protocols and a lack of consensus in the literature. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the acute and chronic effects of CT interventions on physical fitness performance in basketball players and identify the most effective characteristics of moderators. Methods: A bibliographic search was conducted using PubMed, SCOPUS, and Web of Science databases following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines using the PICOS strategy. Results: Fourteen studies met the inclusion criteria, three articles analyzed acute effects, and thirteen analyzed chronic effects. The total number of participants in the studies analyzing acute effects was 50, while for studies examining chronic effects, it was 362. Conclusions: Acutely, CT triggers post-activation potentiation and enhances sprint performance when coupled with brief rest intervals. Over time, these acute improvements contribute to more substantial, long-lasting benefits. Chronic effects of CT improve strength, as evidenced by enhanced 1 RM performance, jumps, sprints, and core muscle strength.