Linear and nonlinear programming: effects on the physical abilities of young basketball players

Background and Study Aim. Linear and nonlinear programming are methods used to control intensity and volume in sports training. Despite their widespread application, there is a lack of evidence-based studies that directly compare the effects of linear versus nonlinear programming. This study aims to assess the effect of linear and nonlinear programming on improving the power, agility, and endurance of young basketball players. Material and Methods. This study employs a two-group pretest-posttest experimental design. It included 40 male basketball players aged 16-18, with weights ranging from 60 to 77 kg and heights from 167 to 180 cm. Participants were divided into two groups based on their ordinal pairings. The instruments used in this study were the jump DF, lane agility, and multistage fitness tests. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Wilcoxon tests, and Mann-Whitney U tests, with the assistance of SPSS 23. Results. The pretest-posttest findings for both the linear and nonlinear programming groups showed significant improvements in power, speed, and endurance, with Asymptotic Significance (Asymp.sig) 2-tailed values of less than 0.05. Comparative analysis of posttest results between linear and nonlinear programming indicated significant differences: power showed an Asymp.sig value of 0.009 with a difference of 3.1; agility showed an Asymp.sig value of 0.000 with a difference of 0.35; and endurance showed an Asymp.sig value of 0.002 with a difference of 2.08. Conclusions. The study demonstrates significant differences in the impacts of linear and nonlinear programming on power, agility, and endurance among young basketball players. Both programming types significantly enhance these attributes, but nonlinear programming is more effective than linear programming in improving the physical abilities of young basketball players.