Physical fitness differences in elite youth U17 and U18 basketball players by team ranking and position

The purpose of this study was to compare the differences in physical fitness between different ranked and age youth basketball players. 382 youth basketball players (U18: n = 190; U17: n = 192) participated in the study. Players` sprint, vertical jump, standing long jumps, sit-ups, sit-and-reach and shuttle run were tested before National Tournament Camp. And players were divided into the top 50% and bottom 50% based on team ranking in the tournament table. Independent T test with effect size was used for analysis. Overall, physical fitness profiles were largely similar between U17 and U18 players. U17 players were significantly faster than the U18 players in sprint and shuttle run (p < 0.05, d=-0.60 to -0.87), and their vertical jump was significantly lower than that of U18 players (p < 0.05, d=-0.31). Regarding different rankings, the U17 top ranking players were significantly faster than the bottom ranking players in sprinting speed (p < 0.05, d=-0.29) and had a significantly higher vertical jump height (p < 0.05, d = 0.36) than the bottom ranking players. Besides, all physical abilities were significantly different between positions (p < 0.05) except for sit-and-reach (p > 0.05). These findings indicate that physical fitness characteristics are broadly comparable between elite U17 and U18 basketball players, suggesting that major physical development may have largely stabilized by late adolescence. Positional demands appear to exert a stronger influence on fitness profiles than chronological age or team ranking at this stage.