Comparison of Sex-Related Activity Profile and Neuromuscular Fatigue After a Badminton-Specific Training Session

To examine sex-related differences in activity profile and neuromuscular fatigue during a badminton-specific multifeeding training session in elite junior players.

Forty-two elite juniors (24 male and 18 female; 17.2 [2.7] y) completed a structured multifeeding drill. External load was assessed using ultrawideband tracking and inertial sensors (eg, distance, accelerations, jumps, and takeoff intensity). Internal load was measured via heart rate and session rating of perceived exertion. Neuromuscular function was evaluated before, immediately after, and 24 hours postsession using countermovement jump and 10/5 repeated jump test on dual force plates.

Males performed significantly more total jumps (P = .02, d = 0.72), relative jumps (P = .03, d = 0.69), and high-intensity takeoffs (P = .01, d = 0.81) compared with females, while no differences emerged in internal load. Both sexes exhibited acute declines in countermovement jump and repeated jump test performance postsession (-5% to -10% in jump height, -7 to -9% in propulsive and braking force; all P < .001), with full recovery at 24 hours. Analysis of covariance confirmed that postsession impairments remained significant after baseline adjustment, but no sex × time interactions were observed. Variability analyses indicated that some individual changes exceeded the smallest-worthwhile-change threshold.

A high-intensity multifeeding training session induced substantial yet transient neuromuscular fatigue in both sexes, with complete recovery within 24 hours. Although males sustained greater mechanical output, internal load and recovery patterns were similar, supporting the use of mixed-sex high-intensity sessions with uniform recovery timelines and the application of dual-force-plate testing for monitoring training responses.