Acute neuro-athletic training effects on cognitive–motor and technical performance in youth basketball players

English (OpenAlex)

Background Basketball performance emerges from the rapid integration of sensory information, motor execution, and technical skill. Neuro-athletic training (NAT) has gained attention as a sensory-driven intervention targeting visuomotor, vestibular, and proprioceptive systems to acutely enhance performance. However, evidence regarding the immediate and short-term effects of a single NAT session in youth basketball players remains limited. Objectives To investigate the acute and short-term (30 min) effects of a single-session neuro-athletic training intervention on physical and basketball-specific technical performance in male youth basketball players. Methods Forty-two male youth basketball players (14–17 years) completed a single-group repeated-measures study. Participants performed a single-session neuro-athletic training (NAT) protocol consisting of three stations integrating visual tracking, near–far focusing, reaction-based tasks, gaze stabilization, and basketball-specific skills such as passing, dribbling, and shooting. Assessments were conducted at baseline (Pre), immediately after NAT (Immediate), and 30 min post-intervention (Post-30). Outcomes included sit-and-reach flexibility, countermovement jump (CMJ) height, 20-m sprint time, dynamic balance, and AAHPERD passing and shooting tests. Results Significant time effects were observed for all outcomes (all p < 0.001). Sit-and-reach performance increased from 7.69 ± 7.86 cm at Pre to 9.31 ± 7.67 cm immediately after NAT and 9.62 ± 7.79 cm at 30 min (η 2 p = 0.508). CMJ height increased from 25.09 ± 5.25 to 27.66 ± 5.23 cm immediately and 28.60 ± 5.33 cm at 30 min (η 2 p = 0.581), whereas 20-m sprint time decreased from 1.80 ± 0.30 to 1.62 ± 0.25 s immediately and remained lower at 1.74 ± 0.29 s at 30 min (η 2 p = 0.425). Passing and shooting scores also improved markedly, increasing from 28.38 ± 3.04 to 34.62 ± 3.06 and 36.19 ± 2.99 (η 2 p = 0.870), and from 16.00 ± 3.20 to 20.81 ± 3.42 and 22.81 ± 3.56 (η 2 p = 0.793), respectively. Conclusion A single-session neuro-athletic training intervention induced rapid and meaningful improvements in physical and basketball-specific technical performance, with several benefits retained after 30 min. These findings support NAT as an effective acute priming strategy for youth basketball performance.