Does Basketball Training Load Provide an Adequate Amount of Physical Activity for Pre-Peak Height Velocity Athletes?

Purpose: The primary aim of the present study was to examine the extent to which participation in organized youth basketball training contributes to physical activity across intensity zones during training sessions in relation to biological maturation status. Methods: Participants were classified into three maturity groups based on predicted age at peak height velocity (PHV): −2.5 to −1.5, −1.5 to −0.5, and ≥−0.5 to 0.83 years from PHV. Data from two training sessions per participant were averaged to obtain representative individual values. One-way analyses of variance (ANOVAs) were used to examine differences in anthropometric, physical performance, and field performance variables between PHV groups. Physical activity patterns were analyzed using two-way mixed-design ANOVAs with PHV stage as the between-subject factor and intensity zone (MET- and HRR-based) as the within-subject factor. Results: Across all maturity groups, approximately 10–17% of total training time was spent in light-intensity activity, while the majority of time was accumulated in moderate-to-vigorous intensity zones (approximately 35–50%, depending on the classification method). Significant maturity-related differences were observed in anthropometric variables and physical performance measures, with more mature players demonstrating superior sprint performance, jumping ability, and grip strength. Field performance indicators also differed between PHV groups, with more mature athletes exhibiting higher external and internal training loads. In contrast, no significant interactions or main effects of PHV stage were observed for physical activity intensity distribution. Conclusions: Organized basketball training contributes substantially to moderate-to-vigorous physical activity accumulated during training sessions. However, these findings reflect training-specific activity and should not be interpreted as representing total daily physical activity. No differences in activity intensity distribution were observed between maturation groups, although this finding should be interpreted with caution, given methodological limitations. These results highlight the need to consider biological maturation when designing youth training programs.