The Impact of Court Orientation and Bout-Ending Mechanism on the External and Internal Loads of Female Basketball Players During Small-Sided Games.

Abstract: Rodríguez-Fernández, A, Flórez-Gil, E, Scanlan, A, and Vaquera, A. The impact of court orientation and bout-ending mechanism on the external and internal loads of female basketball players during small-sided games. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2025-The aims were to examine the impact of court orientation and bout-ending mechanism on external and internal loads during small-sided basketball games (SSG) in female players and examine performance-related fatigue associated with SSG formats. Twelve female basketball players participated in 4 SSG formats over a 4-week period. External (measured using local positioning system) and internal (measured using heart rate) load variables were collected. Countermovement jump and 20-m sprint were assessed pre and post each SSG. Each SSG involved 3vs3 and 3 bouts. Small-sided games formats included: (a) fixed time (3 minutes) in half-court orientation (15 × 14 m with 1 basket); (b) fixed time (3 minutes) in stretched-court orientation (7.5 × 28 m with 2 baskets); (c) fixed point (first to 5 points) in half-court orientation; and (d) fixed point (first to 5 points) in stretched-court orientation. Stretched-court SSG formats resulted in significantly greater external loads (p < 0.01, effect size [ES] = 1.89-4.42). Countermovement jump height increased (p < 0.05; ES = 0.40-0.43) across all SSG except the stretched-court fixed-point format, with 20-m sprint time unaffected across all SSG (p ≥ 0.05; ES = 0.11-0.27). Stretched-court 3vs3 SSG formats elicit greater external loads than half-court, whereas fixed-time and fixed-point bout-ending formats yield comparable demands.