Effects of 12 weeks of French contrast training on lower-limb explosive performance in male collegiate basketball players

Abstract Objective This study aimed to investigate the effects of 12 weeks of French Contrast Training (FCT) on lower-limb explosive performance in male college basketball players compared with resistance training (RT). Methods Forty male college basketball players were randomly assigned to either the FCT group (n = 20) or the RT group (n = 20). Both groups completed a 12-week training program, with two sessions per week and at least 48 hours of recovery between sessions. The FCT protocol consisted of four sequential exercises: 85% 1RM squat, 30-cm hurdle jump, 25% 1RM squat jump, and band-assisted jump. The RT group performed a traditional resistance training program. Outcomes were assessed before and after the intervention, including countermovement jump (CMJ), drop jump (DJ), ground contact time (GCT), reactive strength index (RSI), 10-m sprint time, and isometric mid-thigh pull (IMTP) peak force output. We used two-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) (time × group) with Bonferroni post hoc tests, and effect sizes were reported as partial eta squared (\(\:{{\eta\:}}_{\text{p}}^{2}\)). p < 0.05 was statistically significant. Results FCT yielded greater improvements than RT in CMJ (p = 0.044, \(\:{{\eta\:}}_{\text{p}}^{2}\) = 0.102), DJ (p = 0.035, \(\:{{\eta\:}}_{\text{p}}^{2}\) = 0.112), GCT (p = 0.007, \(\:{{\eta\:}}_{\text{p}}^{2}\) = 0.177), RSI (p < 0.001, \(\:{{\eta\:}}_{\text{p}}^{2}\) = 0.251), 10-m sprint time (p = 0.013, \(\:{{\eta\:}}_{\text{p}}^{2}\) = 0.152), and peak force output ( p = 0.034, \(\:{{\eta\:}}_{\text{p}}^{2}\) = 0.113). Conclusions This study suggests that French Contrast Training is an effective strategy for improving lower-limb explosive performance in male college basketball players.