Standardized Magnitude of Training Adaptation in Under-16 Male Cricketers: A Secondary Analysis of a 12-Week Structured Conditioning Trial

Abstract

Youth cricket requires a combination of speed, intermittent endurance, muscular strength, agility, and mobility, yet empirical work on age-specific conditioning remains comparatively limited. This secondary analysis quantified the magnitude and relative pattern of adaptation produced by a 12-week structured physical conditioning program in under-16 male cricketers, emphasizing standardized effects rather than significance testing alone. The source dataset contained 100 district-level male cricketers from Sirsa, Fatehabad, Hisar, and Rohtak, Haryana, randomly allocated to an experimental group (n = 50) or conventional-training control group (n = 50). The experimental group completed three 60-min sessions per week for 12 weeks. Speed, endurance, muscular strength, agility, and flexibility were assessed before and after the intervention. Change scores, percentage change, Welch independent-samples tests, Hedges’ g, bootstrap confidence intervals, and baseline-adjusted ANCOVA were computed. Relative to baseline, the experimental group improved by 5.93% in 50-m sprint performance, 23.55% in endurance, 34.82% in push-up performance, 6.28% in shuttle-run performance, and 25.16% in sit-and-reach performance. The adjusted group effects were significant for every outcome (all p < .001; partial η² = .815–.906). Standardized between-group effects based on beneficial change were very large: endurance, g = 6.09; agility, g = 5.24; flexibility, g = 4.94; speed, g = 4.42; and strength, g = 4.11. The intervention generated a broad and highly pronounced physical adaptation profile. Reporting effect magnitude and the relative hierarchy of responses provides additional information beyond binary significance testing and offers a practical basis for prioritizing conditioning content in adolescent cricket.