Effects of a Four-Week Progressive Plyometric Programme on Flying Shoot Performance in Female University Handball Athletes: A Quasi-Experimental Controlled Pretest–Posttest Study

Background & objective: Plyometric training is widely used to improve explosive performance in handball, but evidence remains limited regarding its transfer to sport-specific flying shoot performance in female university athletes. This study examined whether a short-duration progressive plyometric programme could improve flying shoot performance compared with a control condition. Materials & Methods: A quasi-experimental, non-randomized controlled pretest–posttest design was used involving 68 female university handball athletes, with 34 participants in the experimental group and 34 in the control group. The experimental group completed a four-week progressive plyometric programme consisting of 12 sessions incorporating hurdle jumps, box jumps, single-leg hops, and medicine-ball throws, while the control group did not receive the additional plyometric intervention. Flying shoot performance was assessed using a standardized three-attempt accuracy test, with scores summed across attempts. The primary analysis used analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), with posttest score as the dependent variable, group as the fixed factor, and pretest score as the covariate. Assumption checks included Shapiro–Wilk and Levene tests, and non-parametric sensitivity analyses were performed Results: Baseline flying shoot performance was comparable between groups (5.03 ± 1.14 vs 5.12 ± 1.09; p = 0.746). Posttest scores increased to 7.94 ± 1.10 in the experimental group and 5.26 ± 1.02 in the control group. The adjusted between-group difference was 2.753 points (95% CI 2.548–2.959), F(1,65) = 717.125, p < 0.001, partial η² = 0.917. Sensitivity analyses confirmed the direction of the primary finding. Conclusions: A four-week progressive plyometric programme was associated with substantially greater improvement in flying shoot performance among female university handball athletes. These findings extend international evidence by supporting transfer from combined upper- and lower-body plyometric training to a sport-specific technical outcome, although generalization should remain cautious.