Does the Intent Match the Output: Aligning Development Goals With Training Load in Youth Basketball.

ABSTRACT: This study investigated the alignment between external training load metrics and coach-prescribed development goals in an elite youth basketball setting. External training load data from training drills were collected over two years from 25 elite male youth basketball players in a full-time residential academy. At the start of each term, coaches developed and assigned individual developmental goals (IDGs) for each player. Using inductive thematic analysis, these IDGs were retrospectively grouped into four overarching development goal categories (defensive, offensive, skill, and physical) and 16 specific goal types (e.g., cutting, shooting, and load tolerance). Separately, external load metrics were recorded during all on-court training sessions using Catapult Vector S7 devices. To align ID

SUBMITTER: Lever JR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12928051 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature