Physical Performance Responses to Structured Movement Variability in a Basketball-Adjusted FIFA 11+ Warm-Up

Introduction: Multicomponent warm-ups are practical tools for supporting adolescent athletes, but highly standardised execution may not accommodate coordination differences associated with growth and maturation. This study examined whether moderate, coach-instructed movement variability could be incorporated into a basketball-adjusted FIFA 11+ programme without meaningful deterioration in sprint, jump, and basketball-specific shuttle performance, and whether biological maturation influenced individual responses.

Methods: Twenty-six male academy basketball players completed a 13-week, twice-weekly, single-arm field intervention. The FIFA 11+ structure was retained, while selected exercises incorporated controlled variations in upper-limb position, gaze, rhythm, trunk orientation, base of support, tempo, and asymmetrical limb use. Outcomes comprised 20 m sprint, squat jump, countermovement jump, Abalakov jump, unilateral jump height, and Line Drill performance. Pre–post responses were examined using Bayesian paired analyses, smallest worthwhile change classification, one-sided non-inferiority tests, and moderation analysis based on percentage of predicted adult height.

Results: Mean changes were small but generally favourable across outcomes. Bayesian analyses did not support systematic group-level improvement; however, all outcomes were non-inferior to the threshold representing a small meaningful decrement. The proportion of players showing improvement or no meaningful deterioration ranged from 69.2% to 84.6%, reaching 84.6% for countermovement jump, Abalakov jump, and Line Drill performance. Exploratory analyses identified maturity-related transition regions for countermovement and Abalakov jump responses, suggesting that adaptation may vary across biological development.

Conclusions: Incorporating moderate structured variability into a basketball-adjusted FIFA 11+ preserved sprint, jump, and shuttle performance in most adolescent players, supporting its potential as a feasible and adaptable warm-up strategy. The observed maturity-related patterns reinforce the value of individual monitoring, while more targeted sprint, jump, and strength stimuli remain necessary when substantial performance gains are intended.