Psychological readiness mediates performance transfer in constraints-led, game-based basketball training: evidence from a quasi-experimental study

BackgroundConstraints-led, game-based training is increasingly used in basketball, yet the behavioral and psychophysiological mechanisms behind performance improvements remain unclearMethodsA quasi-experimental, pretest–posttest design involved 48 male collegiate basketball players allocated into a constraints-led experimental group (EXP, n = 24) or a technique-then-scrimmage control group (CTRL, n = 24). Over 8 weeks, both groups trained 3 × /week with matched intensity (70–85% HR_max, sRPE 6–7