The Effect of 6 Weeks of Conditioning Training Based on Small-Sided Games with and without Vascular Occlusion on Some Physical Fitness Factors in Female Basketball Players

Training along with vascular occlusion is useful for increasing power and hypertrophy. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of conditioning training based on small-sided games with and without vascular occlusion on some physical fitness factors in female basketball players. 30 female basketball players participated in this study voluntarily and randomly divided into three groups: small-sided games with vascular occlusion (n=10), small-sided games without vascular occlusion (n=10) and control (n=10). Training program included 6 weeks, 3 sessions a week and involved 15-28 minutes of training on a court with 15 × 14 dimensions and 20 minutes of training on the basketball court. The proximal portion of both legs of the vascular occlusion group was occluded with elastic band before the beginning of the main training. Data were analyzed using ANCOVA test at significance level of 0.05. The results indicated a significant increase in the power of lower body muscles in small-sided games with vascular occlusion group compared with the small-sided games and control groups (P=0.001) while there was no significant difference among the three groups in 10m and 20m speeds and maximum power. Also, aerobic power index significantly improved in small-sided games with vascular occlusion group compared with the control group (P=0.026). There was no difference between small-sided games and small-sided games with vascular occlusion (P=0.25). According to the results of this study, it is suggested that the small-sided games with vascular occlusion should be employed to improve the power of lower body muscles and both training methods should be used to improve aerobic power in female basketball players.