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

Abstract

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 (η2p = 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 (η2p = 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 (η2p = 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 (η2p = 0.870), and from 16.00 ± 3.20 to 20.81 ± 3.42 and 22.81 ± 3.56 (η2p = 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.