Acute effects of French contrast and post-activation performance enhancement on throwing, jump performance, and training load in handball players


ELER N., ELER S., Senturk A., GENÇOĞLU C., Akalin T. C., Karaagacli S.

BMC SPORTS SCIENCE MEDICINE AND REHABILITATION, cilt.18, sa.1, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus) identifier identifier

Özet

This study aimed to investigate the acute effects of the Band-French Contrast Method (Band-FCM) and Band-Post-Activation Performance Enhancement (Band-PAPE) protocols on throwing velocity, countermovement jump (CMJ) height, and internal training load (RPE) in elite youth male handball players. A total of 23 athletes from the U18 national team voluntarily participated in the study. The experimental design included four sessions: an initial familiarization and band-1RM testing day, followed by three intervention sessions arranged in a Latin square design. The Band-PAPE protocol consisted of two sets of shoulder press actions performed at 90% band-1RM, incorporating 3-second isometric holds followed immediately by explosive concentric movements, followed by 4 min of passive recovery before performance testing. The Band-FCM protocol comprised three sets of upper-body isometric, dynamic, and plyometric exercises applied in a sequential structure. Throwing velocity (measured via radar), CMJ height (assessed using Optojump), and RPE (CR-10 scale) were recorded before and 2-4 min after the intervention. The significance level was set at alpha = 0.05. Results showed that the Band-PAPE protocol significantly increased throwing velocity (+ 5.6 km & centerdot;h(-)& sup1;) without elevating RPE. Both protocols induced moderate improvements in CMJ height; however, only Band-FCM significantly increased RPE. In conclusion, Band-PAPE may be suitable for pre-competition and in-game use (e.g., pre-match warm-up, halftime, and preparing substitute players) due to its performance benefits with minimal increase in internal load, whereas Band-FCM appears more appropriate as a training-oriented strategy for longer-term power development rather than acute performance enhancement.