Acute Effects of Fitlight Training on Cognitive-Motor Processes in Young Basketball Players

Fioretta Silvestri, Matteo Campanella, Maurizio Bertollo, Maicon Rodrigues Albuquerque, Valerio Bonavolontà, Fabrizio Perroni, Carlo Baldari (), Laura Guidetti and Davide Curzi
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Fioretta Silvestri: Department Unicusano, University “Niccolò Cusano”, 00166 Rome, Italy
Matteo Campanella: Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, eCampus University, 22060 Novedrate, Italy
Maurizio Bertollo: BIND-Behavioral Imaging and Neural Dynamics Center, Department of Medicine and Aging Sciences, University G. d’Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy
Maicon Rodrigues Albuquerque: Neurosciences of Physical Activity and Sports Research Group, Department of Sports, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31120-901, Brazil
Valerio Bonavolontà: Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Science, University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
Fabrizio Perroni: Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, 61029 Urbino, Italy
Carlo Baldari: Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, eCampus University, 22060 Novedrate, Italy
Laura Guidetti: Department Unicusano, University “Niccolò Cusano”, 00166 Rome, Italy
Davide Curzi: Department Unicusano, University “Niccolò Cusano”, 00166 Rome, Italy

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: Cognitive-motor training could be used to improve open-skill sport performances, increasing cognitive demands to stimulate executive function (EF) development. Nevertheless, a distributed training proposal for the improvement of EFs is increasingly difficult to combine with seasonal sport commitments. This study aimed to investigate whether a massed basketball training program enriched with Fitlight training can improve EFs and motor performance. Forty-nine players (age = 15.0 ± 1.5 yrs) were assigned to the control and Fitlight-trained (FITL) groups, which performed 3 weeks of massed basketball practice, including 25 min per day of shooting sessions or Fitlight training, respectively. All athletes were tested in cognitive tasks (Flanker/Reverse Flanker; Digit Span) and fitness tests (Agility T-test; Yo-Yo IR1). During the intervention, exercise/session perceived effort (eRPE/sRPE) and enjoyment were collected. RM-ANOVA showed significant EFs scores increased in both groups over time, without differences between the groups. Moreover, an increased sRPE and eRPE appeared in the FITL group ( p = 0.0001; p = 0.01), with no group differences in activity enjoyment and fitness tests. Three weeks of massed basketball training improved EFs and motor performance in young players. The additional Fitlight training increased the perceived cognitive effort without decreasing enjoyment, even if it seems unable to induce additional improvements in EFs.

Keywords: executive function; cognitive-motor training; massed training; exercise; fitness; perceived effort (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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