The present study was conducted to examine the effect of circuit training on selected physical fitness components, namely speed and agility, among Under-19 male badminton players. The participants comprised 40 male badminton players selected from Nova Badminton Academy and Infinity Badminton Academy, Bengaluru. The participants were divided into two groups of 20 players each. The players from Nova Badminton Academy constituted the Experimental Group, while the players from Infinity Badminton Academy constituted the Control Group. The Experimental Group participated in a structured circuit training programme for a period of 12 weeks, with training sessions conducted three days per week. The Control Group continued their regular badminton practice and playing activities without participating in the circuit training programme. Before the commencement of the training programme, both groups underwent pre-testing to assess speed and agility. Following the completion of the 12-week training programme, post-tests were conducted using the same testing procedures. Speed was assessed through the 50-Metre Dash Test, while agility was measured using the Right Boomerang Run Test. The data obtained from the pre-test and post-test were statistically analysed using the t-test with the level of significance set at 0.05. The findings indicated that the Experimental Group showed greater improvement in both speed and agility compared with the Control Group. The study concludes that a systematic 12-week circuit training programme can be effective in enhancing speed and agility among Under-19 male badminton players. The findings may be useful to badminton coaches and physical educators in designing appropriate fitness programmes for young players.

 

Keywords: Circuit Training, Badminton Players, Speed, Agility, Under-19 Athletes.