Effects of a Four-Week Small-Sided Game and Repeated Sprint Ability Training during and after Ramadan on Aerobic and Anaerobic Capacities in Senior Basketball Players

Background. Most studies related to the effect of Ramadan fasting on aerobic and anaerobic performances found in the literature were concerned with individual sports; even studies on team sports were mostly dedicated to football, and none of those studies were involved basketball competitions. Objectives. This field investigation examined the effects of a training program in the basics of small-sided games (SSGs) and repeated sprint ability (RSA) during Ramadan observance (R) and a month after Ramadan (AR) (control month) on aerobic and ("anaerobic'') performances in fasting basketball players. Methods. Sixteen basketball players (age, 23.4 +/- 2.3 years; height, 1.86 +/- .09 m; body mass, 78.3 +/- 11.0 kg; and VO2(max), 51.0 +/- 2.7 ml.min(-1).kg(-1)) performed two training programs (SSG and RSA) during R and AR, interrupted by fifteen days of total recovery, and were randomly allocated into two groups (GSSG, n=8 and GRSA, n=8). RSA parameters, mean heart rate (HR), and aerobic performances were measured on four occasions: before (P1) and after (P2) R and before (P'1) and after (P'2) AR. Results. The results have shown that RSA and Ramadan show no significant differences in aerobic and anaerobic performances when compared with SSG and non-Ramadan in senior basketball players. However, there was a significant difference in mean HR (p=0.03) between groups when comparing R and AR for GSSG. Conclusion. This study indicated that Ramadan fasting combined with SSG and RSA training has no significant effect on most aerobic and anaerobic performances in male senior basketball players.