SynthesisFrontiers in psychology2026
The impact of small-sided games on the athletic performance of basketball players: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Synthesis in Frontiers in psychology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Objective: Small-sided games (SSG), as a game-based training approach, offer unique advantages compared with traditional training methods. However, there is currently no consensus regarding the effects of SSG versus traditional training on athletic performance in basketball players. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of small-sided training on athletic performance in basketball players. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in Web of Science, EBSCO, PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library from database inception to January 3, 2026. Randomized controlled trials investigating the effects of SSG on basketball players' athletic performance were included. Outcomes related to physical performance (aerobic performance, sprinting, agility, and jumping) and basketball-specific technical performance (shooting, passing, and dribbling) were extracted. Meta-analyses were performed using fixed- or random-effects models based on heterogeneity, and risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane framework. Results: Nine randomized controlled trials involving 180 basketball players were included. The meta-analysis showed that, compared with traditional training, SSG significantly improved agility, shooting, passing and dribbling. However, no significant differences were found between SSG and control interventions for aerobic performance, sprinting, or jumping. Conclusion: Small-sided games are an effective training strategy for enhancing agility and basketball-specific technical performance, but they do not demonstrate clear advantages over traditional training in improving aerobic performance, sprint performance, or jumping ability. SSG may serve as a valuable complement to conventional training methods, particularly for developing technical and tactical abilities, but they should not replace traditional physical conditioning programs. Systematic review registration: CRD420261285674.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.