Arbi, GhofraneNegra, YassineUthoff, AaronSammoud, SendaMüller, PatrickChaabene, HelmiHachana, Younes2026-01-152026-01-152026-01-04Sports, ISSN: 2075-4663 (Online), MDPI AG, 14(1), 16-16. doi: 10.3390/sports140100162075-4663http://hdl.handle.net/10292/20509<jats:p>This study aimed to examine the effects of eight weeks of repeated backward sprint training (RBST) versus repeated forward sprint training (RFST) on physical fitness measures. Twenty-three postpubertal male basketball players (mean age = 15 years) were randomly assigned to either an RBST group (n = 12) or an RFST group (n = 11). Pre- and post-intervention assessments measured 5-, 10-, and 20 m sprint performance, Y-agility, 505 change of direction (CoD) speed, countermovement jump (CMJ), standing long jump (SLJ), and RSA (RSA best time [RSAbest] and RSA mean time [RSAmean]). The RBST group significantly improved in all measures (p &lt; 0.05; 6.11 to 19.25%; Effect size [ES] = 0.32 to 1.05) except RSAbest. The RFST group significantly improved 10 m sprint, SLJ, RSAbest, and RSAmean (p &lt; 0.05; 6.25 to 17.84%; ES = 0.05 to 0.80). Between-group analysis revealed that RBST outperformed RFST in Y-agility and SLJ (p &lt; 0.05; ES = −1.03 and 0.16, respectively). RBST was more effective for improving agility and lower-body power, while RFST provided a slight advantage in peak RSA. These findings suggest that incorporating task-specific sprint training may optimize physical performance in male youth basketball players.</jats:p>© 2026 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/1106 Human Movement and Sports Sciences4207 Sports science and exerciseadolescentsteam sportathletic performancesport-specific trainingJournal ArticleOpenAccess10.3390/sports14010016