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Objective: This study investigates the efficacy of training methodologies aimed at mitigating asymmetries in lower limb strength and explosiveness among basketball players., Methods: Thirty male university basketball athletes were enrolled in this research. Initial assessments were made regarding their physical attributes, strength, and explosiveness. Subsequently, the participants were randomly allocated into two groups: an experimental group (EG, n = 15) and a control group (CG, n = 15). Over 10 weeks, the EG engaged in a unilateral compound training regimen, incorporating resistance training exercises such as split squats, Bulgarian split squats, box step-ups, and single-leg calf raises (non-dominant leg: three sets of six repetitions; dominant leg: one set of six repetitions) and plyometric drills including lunge jumps, single-leg hops with back foot raise, single-leg lateral jumps, and single-leg continuous hopping (non-dominant leg: three sets of 12 repetitions; dominant leg: one set of 12 repetitions). The CG continued with their standard training routine. Assessments of limb asymmetry and athletic performance were conducted before and after the intervention to evaluate changes., Results: 1) Body morphology assessments showed limb length and circumference discrepancies of less than 3 cm. The initial average asymmetry percentages in the single-leg countermovement jump (SLCMJ) for jump height, power, and impulse were 15.56%, 12.4%, and 4.48%, respectively. 2) Post-intervention, the EG demonstrated a significant reduction in the asymmetry percentages of SLCMJ height and power ( p < 0.01), along with improvements in the isometric mid-thigh pull (IMTP) test metrics ( p < 0.05). 3) The EG also showed marked enhancements in the double-leg countermovement jump (CMJ) and standing long jump (SLJ) outcomes compared to the CG ( p < 0.01), as well as in squat performance ( p < 0.05)., Conclusion: The 10-week unilateral compound training program effectively reduced the asymmetry in lower limb strength and explosiveness among elite male university basketball players, contributing to increased maximal strength and explosiveness., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Zhang, Chen, Xu, Xie, Chen, Zhu, Ji, Li and Sun.)

Objectives: Jumping ability has been identified as a key factor that influences the performance of badminton athletes. Autoregulatory progressive resistance exercise (APRE) and velocity-based resistance training (VBRT) are commonly used approaches to enhance muscle strength and have been shown to accurately monitor the development of explosive power to improve jumping ability. This study aims to investigate the effects of APRE and VBRT on badminton athletes' jumping ability and to provide practical insights into improving their jumping performance during competitions., Methods: Upon completing familiarization and pretesting, 18 badminton athletes were included and completed the training intervention (age, 21.4 ± 1.4 years; stature, 170.1 ± 7.3 cm; body mass, 65.9 ± 12 kg); they were randomly divided into the APRE group ( n = 9) and VBRT group ( n = 9). Jumping performance was assessed during the countermovement jump (CMJ), squat jump (SJ), and drop jump (DJ) via SmartJump, with CMJ 's and SJ's jump height, eccentric utilization ratio (EUR), and reactive strength index (RSI). All participants then completed a 4-week in-season resistance training intervention., Results: (1) The results of the within-group indicated that only the CMJ (pre: 41.56 ± 7.84 vs post: 43.57 ± 7.85, p < 0.05) of the APRE group had significant differences, whereas the SJ, EUR, and RSI were not significantly different ( p > 0.05). (2) The results of the intergroups revealed that all indicators had no significant differences ( p > 0.05), but APRE had a moderate effect size on the improvement of the CMJ ( η 2 = 0.244) and EUR ( η 2 = 0.068) when compared with VBRT., Conclusions: The results showed that, compared to VBRT, APRE can effectively improve the performance of the reactive athletes' lower limb explosive power in the CMJ in a shorter period of time. The findings indicate that APRE may be useful for coaches seeking to improve the CMJ performance of athletes in the short term., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (© 2023 Huang et al.)