Effects of strength training on jump, sprint, and change-of-direction performance in male basketball players: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Purpose To systematically review and meta-analyze the effects of strength training interventions on countermovement jump (CMJ), 20-m linear sprint, and change-of-direction (COD) performance in male basketball players. Methods A systematic review with meta-analysis was conducted following PRISMA 2020 guidelines and the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions, and was prospectively registered in PROSPERO (CRD420261288793). PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched from inception to November 2025. Experimental studies comparing a structured strength training intervention against a control or alternative training condition in male basketball players were included. Methodological quality was assessed with the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool, and overall certainty of evidence was rated using the GRADE approach. Standardized mean differences (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were pooled using DerSimonian–Laird random-effects models. Heterogeneity was quantified using τ 2 and I 2 . Exploratory subgroup/meta-regression analyses examined training duration, participant age category, and country of study. Results Sixteen studies (447 participants; 2007–2025) were included. Strength training produced a large improvement in CMJ performance (SMD = 0.80; 95% CI: 0.64 to 0.96; p < 0.001; I 2 = 17.7%), a small but statistically significant improvement in 20-m sprint performance (SMD = 0.23; 95% CI: 0.07 to 0.40; p = 0.006; I 2 = 47.2%), and a large but highly imprecise, non-significant effect on COD (SMD = 0.85; 95% CI: −0.47 to 2.17; p = 0.208; I 2 = 88.9%). Exploratory analyses suggested that intervention duration, age category and competitive level accounted for part of the between-study variability, but these findings should be considered hypothesis-generating. Overall certainty of evidence (GRADE) was rated high for CMJ, moderate for sprint, and low for COD. Conclusions Strength training appears effective for improving vertical jump and, to a lesser extent, linear sprint performance in male basketball players. Its effect on COD cannot be reliably estimated from the current evidence base due to substantial heterogeneity, imprecision, and the predominant use of pre-planned tasks that do not capture the reactive component of agility. Future research should emphasize training specificity—including horizontally-oriented force application and, when agility is the target, perceptual–cognitive stimuli—to optimize transfer to sport-specific performance.